The Art of Rejection and Restraint
by Tia-Lewise
Summary: Final Fantasy IV. Kain ran away once more after the events of The After Years. Now he's come back, having come to terms with his feelings. Rosa's glad, Cecil's overjoyed, and Ceodore...let's just say it's the best thing that ever happened to him.
1. Chapter 1

_This originally started off as developing into a Cecil/Rosa/Kain, but I found it a bit annoying, so I altered it. I've never played The After Years but spend enough time on the FF Wiki to know what goes on, so hopefully this should be okay. This is set a year after the events of TAY. And I don't own anything FF, apart from the Cactuar doll attached to my bag._

_Also, in the way I worked things around with my other FFIV fics, people come of age at seventeen in their world, to be between the UK and the USA's laws for sex._

_And another note- Yes, Yunakitty, you're the one who inspired me to do this one! Déjà vu was such a cute story that I wanted to do my own! BTW- are there any more chapters to it going up soon?_

* * *

><p>A silhouetted shape crawled its way across the battlements. Silent even though the armour the figure wore was in danger of clanking and giving him away, he jumped down and found himself in the courtyard. He knew where he was going. The castle hadn't exactly changed much. Careful not to disturb the guards, the lone figure limped towards West Tower, where the King and Queen slept. A trail of blood spattered the floor behind him, but hopefully in the darkness the guards wouldn't spot it.<p>

Panting, the armoured man reached the tower and leaned against the door heavily. His own stocks of magic energy were depleted and his supplies had all but gone. This was the only shelter he would be comfortable in. He silently opened the door to West Tower and slunk inside. The stairs were…_there._ It was still easy to find them in the darkness. Blood coated the steps as he made his ascent.

Vision dimming. Pain…too much. The figure found himself dropping to his knees in exhaustion, groaning with pain. The whole world seemed to spin around him as he slumped onto the steps, unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

CLANG.

Rosa started awake, threw her husband's arms off her and felt for the dagger under her pillow, eyes large and wary. Beside her, Cecil stirred and sat up, confused. "What is the matter?" he asked sleepily.

"I heard something, Cecil," she replied in a low voice. "Down the stairs. I'm going to look-"

But before she could even get out of bed, a voice resonated throughout the tower.

"Mother! Father!"

It was Ceodore, on night watch. Motioning for Cecil to remain in bed, Rosa jumped out herself and grabbed a cloak to put on over her nightdress. Crossing the room to the door, she opened it and called down the stairs, "What's wrong, Ceodore?"

"Come quick!" the young prince called back. Rosa hurried down the stairs and screamed at the sight before her. A thump and a curse told her Cecil had jumped and fallen out of bed at her scream. "What _happened _to him?"

"I don't know," admitted Ceodore, crouched beside the unconscious warrior. "I noticed the tower door was unlocked and wasn't sure if you or Father had gone out, so I thought I would check. There's a trail of blood leading here."

"Oh, my…" Rosa knelt down also. Cecil clattered down the stairs in a fluster, Excalibur in hand. Upon reaching his wife and son, he dropped the sword in shock.

"Kain-!"

"Help me move him to the infirmary," ordered Rosa, motioning for her son and husband to assist her in lifting Kain in his heavy armour. Ceodore and Cecil both sheathed their weapons and grabbed Kain, moving carefully down the stairs with him while Rosa hurried ahead to inspect the trail of thick blood spatters. Tears pricked her eyes with sympathy for their old friend. _Oh, Kain…_

The men moved him to the infirmary and the white mages buzzed around him, inspecting his wounds, Rosa included. Cecil had offered to help but all the white mages refused, partly because his magic was nearly nothing compared to theirs, so he stayed in the corner with his very confused son. "Father, why did he come back?" he asked. Cecil sighed and bowed his head as he leaned against the wall.

"I don't know. But I thought I would never see him again."

"Will he be okay?"

Cecil was silent awhile. "...You know, I went on my first proper adventure when I was only a few years older than you," he said quietly. "You eventually learn that there's always something you can do. Have no fear; the mages and your mother will put Kain right."

"You've all been through so much."

"Indeed…" Cecil laid a hand on his son's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

Rosa held Kain's hand worriedly as the mages cast repeated spells over his battered body. She had helped in removing his armour and healing the more serious wounds, but still he showed no signs of waking. She inspected his face; he had more lines than the last time they had seen him, his once bright blonde hair was greying, and he had acquired a jagged scar over his left eye. At this rate he was going to have more scars. "Any luck?" she asked the healers desperately. "We can't let him die." They assured her that he would be okay and not to worry too much. Panic etched on her face, Rosa squeezed Kain's limp hand harder. She felt Cecil join her, his comforting arms wind round her tiny frame, and she leaned back into his touch, eyes closed.

After an hour, the healers were satisfied they had stabilised Kain, and moved him into a bed to keep a careful watch over him. Ceodore reluctantly left to head back to night watch, but Cecil and Rosa remained, keeping a bedside vigil by their closest friend.

* * *

><p>For two days, the King and Queen hardly moved. Kain had not woken, but was beginning to show signs of consciousness, through recurrent nightmares.<p>

"Oh, I wish there was something we could do," Rosa groaned, clutching Cecil's arm. Kain thrashed in his bed, his eyes flickering behind their lids, and screamed. Cecil flinched; he knew Kain's nightmares all too well, having to wake him from many when they were younger. But try as they might, no amount of shaking could snap him out of it. Cecil felt Kain's forehead and cursed. "Feverish…he must cool down." Rosa jumped up to grab a damp cloth to drape across the dragoon's forehead. "He has to wake soon," whispered Cecil, reaching to Rosa and pulling her into his lap, "or he won't last much longer."

"I'm praying for him," Rosa replied quietly, pressing her clasped hands to her chest.

A white mage bustled over and took Kain's pulse, then his temperature and checked how his wounds were healing. "His body is healing fine," she said with a note of concern in her voice, "but he's yet to break his fever. I think he'll wake soon." She felt his pulse again. "His heart is going into overdrive, though. It may be a sign that his body is not coping with the illness and injuries he sustained."

Rosa let out a sob and buried her head in Cecil's shoulder. Cecil cried, "Isn't there _anything _anyone can do?"

"If he were conscious we could give him some medicine, but at the moment all we can do is wait for him to break the fever. I'm sorry, Sire."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault. You did all you could." She bobbed her head and departed. Cecil flinched as Kain screamed again, holding his wife close. She continued to sob into his shoulder, trembling in her husband's arms.

Kain's fever got worse over the course of the day, and Cecil had to leave as it got too much for him to bear. Rosa remained in case her healing was required, and Ceodore took his father's place. "You look exhausted," he said, squeezing her hand. "You need sleep, Mother."

"I cannot. I may be needed." She sighed and rubbed her sore eyes. "He's been feverish for three days. I'm close to giving up."

"Don't give up, Mother!" Ceodore shook Rosa. "You became a white mage to protect Father and Kain, so don't give up now!"

"I…" She shook her head. "I'm scared, Ceo…"

"I know. I know."

Suddenly, a previously unmoving Kain stiffened in his bed and let out a loud cry of fear. Rosa and Ceodore jumped and leaned towards him as white mages hurried over. "He's having a fit; turn him onto his front."

Rosa closed her eyes and tears seeped out from behind their lids as the white mages shifted a convulsing Kain into a safer position. Every time he had a nightmare or a fit he became worse. "Pulse is speeding up," another mage said, her voice strained.

"This is too much," whispered Rosa, covering her face with her hands. Kain's agonised screams chilled her blood, turned it to ice within her veins. Beside her, Ceodore groaned.

"No, no, no! Not now!" He grasped Kain's shaking hand. "Come on, Kain! Wake up!"

"Slowing down," a white mage said with relief. Kain's convulsions stopped and he lay still, save for the odd tremble. Rosa opened her eyes as she heard the cries subside, and she leaned close. Slowly, Kain's brown eyes opened and met hers. He smiled. "Rosa."

Rosa didn't answer, but rather burst into happy tears. Ceodore patted Kain's arm.

"Hi again, Sir Highwind."

"Prince Ceodore. Nice to see you again…" Kain slowly turned over onto his back and wiped his damp forehead. "I'm…so hot. Where am I?"

"In Baron," sniffed Rosa. "You passed out in our tower."

"Oh yes…I did. I apologise for that."

"Don't apologise." Rosa wiped her eyes and smiled. "We're so glad you came back."

Kain nodded wearily. "How long was I unconscious?"

"Three days."

Three days…that's a record for me." He attempted to sit up and winced. "Ouch." Rosa immediately pushed him back into bed and turned to Ceodore.

"Sweetie, fetch your father." Ceodore nodded and hurried from the room. "You must rest, Kain. You've yet to break your fever." The dragoon ran a hand across his sweaty brow again and grimaced.

"I see what you mean. Are you well, Rosa? You look exhausted."

"I've hardly moved. I just wanted to watch over you."

"I appreciate your concern, Rosa," Kain replied. "It means a lot to me."

"You seem to have changed since we last saw you. You talk differently, like you just feel better about yourself."

"I do. I feel much better about myself now. The time alone was just what I needed."

He chuckled. "It was rather lonely, though-"

He was cut off by the door bursting open and Cecil rushing into the room, Ceodore close behind. "Kain!" Cecil exclaimed, dropping into a chair and clasping his hand. "How are you feeling?"

Kain smiled warmly at his old friend and gave his hand a brief squeeze. "Rosa tells me I have a fever. Apart from that, I feel okay."

"You left a rather noticeable trail through the castle, you know."

Kain's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The blood. What on earth happened?"

Kain turned his gaze to the ceiling and closed his eyes, his chest fluttering. "I…I can barely remember. All I know is… I knew I had had the thinking time I needed, and it was time to return home…oh, yes…I remember now. I ran out of supplies, my magic energy was depleted, and I was attacked as I made my way down Mount Ordeals. I lost my lance, to make matters worse, and the trip to Mysidia and crossing the Devil's Road almost killed me."

"Why didn't you go to Rosa's mother? She could have healed you."

"I…I didn't want to. I wanted to see you…" His chest fluttered as he struggled to speak. "I…I just…C-Cecil, I…"

Cecil felt Kain's forehead. "Don't talk right now. Rest…for us, and for your own wellbeing. Understand?" Kain nodded weakly. "Good. When you feel a little better, have a mage send us a message and we shall visit you."

"Thank you, Cecil. You are…too kind…" Kain closed his eyes and smiled softly when Rosa dropped a kiss to his cheek.

"Sleep well," she whispered, stroking his hair back from his face. She looked up at the mages. "Look after him. Let me know if I'm required."

They all bobbed their heads. "Yes, My Lady," they said as one. Laying a hand on Cecil's arm, Rosa gestured towards the door while beckoning to Ceodore with her other hand.


	3. Chapter 3

A few more days went by as normal. Cecil left the castle to go about his kingly business, leaving Rosa in charge of running things in his stead. It was late afternoon, and at the present moment in time she was in her study, having a cup of tea with Cid. "Is your daughter well?" she asked.

"She's very well, thanks for asking."

"And her new husband?"

"Settling in just fine."

"I hear the plans for Eblan's new airship are coming along well." Rosa set her cup aside for a moment. The old engineer gave a deep chuckle and smacked his lips.

"Ahh…brilliant tea, Rosa. Yep, plans are coming together smoothly. I think Edge is going to be very pleased with it."

"Yes…it's such a shame the Falcon didn't last as long as we had hoped. I can only guess that the heat of the lava in the Underworld took its toll on it."

"It was a fine old thing, and I was sad to see it go. Still, this beaut's my best creation yet, I can guarantee you!" He took a gulp of tea. "What is this, by the way? I've fallen in love with it."

"It is Mysidian sweet camomile. It's well known for its calming effects, and I daresay I need it these days…"

"Oh, yeah…how's ol' Kain coming along?" Cid set his cup down so Rosa could refill it.

"I haven't been to see him since he woke up, but I understand he's now broken his fever and is able to eat. The white mages tell me he's tired of remaining in bed." She giggled at this. "Impatient as ever." Cid nodded in agreement, his white beard trembling with laughter.

"Oh yeah, that's Kain all right! Nice to know he'll be up and about soon. Hasn't been the same- he's been gone eighteen years!"

"I know! So long…" Rosa said; her eyes turned skywards, thinking. "I take it you haven't seen Cecil recently?"

"Hasn't he gone to Damcyan?"

"Yes."

"No, can't say I've seen him. I haven't come to the castle in over a week. Why?"

Rosa giggled. "He hasn't stopped smiling since Kain returned. It's almost infectious!"

Cid drained his second cup of camomile. "He's a different man around Kain, isn't he?"

"Very different."

"Suspiciously different?"

"To other people, maybe just a smidgen." She refilled Cid's cup again. "But I totally understand. Cecil has always loved Kain."

Cid choked on his drink. "E-Eh? As in-?"

"Yes!" laughed Rosa. "It's quite funny, actually. He always tried so hard to hide it but you could see right through him. Personally, I find it quite sweet."

"Eh? But you're married to the guy! Doesn't it hurt you any?" His shocked look increased when Rosa shook her head. "How come, Rosa?"

"Because it's something I have always known, and though he loves Kain, he will never initiate anything for fear of ruining their friendship. It is…complicated, but that's how it is. I've known the boys long enough to be sure of their feelings, and they are both very emotional."

"I agree with you on that one. So, what you're saying is…Sir Paladin swings both ways?"

"Yep. They used to fool around when they were younger. Never more than kissing, and it stopped when Cecil and I started dating, but those attractions were always there. You understand?" Cid just goggled at Rosa, who sighed. "Okay, maybe not. But, now you know, and you are our most trusted friend, after all, so I would naturally tell you first." She drained her camomile and wiped her lips. "I'm sorry if I intimidated you with all this."

Cid waved a hand amiably. "Nah, no worries. Queen of Baron or not, you're still like a second daughter to me. You're always gonna be my little girl, so you come to me if you want to talk, get it?"

"Thank you, Cid," she squealed, hugging him tightly. A knock on the door made her pull away sharply and dust herself down. "Enter!"

A messenger opened the door and bowed. "Sorry to disturb you, My Lady…His Majesty the King has returned from Damcyan. He would meet you in your chamber."

"Thank you, Finn. You may go." Finn bowed again and left. Rosa gathered up the teapot and empty cups, placing them on a tray. "It's been lovely to catch up with you, Cid, but I must go now."

"Great to see you again, Rosa," the engineer grinned, giving Rosa a hug. "Pass my regards on to the King."

"That I will." Rosa picked up the tea tray and Cid opened the study door for her. "Will you return to Baron?"

"Nah, I think I'll go check on my boys. Probably see you round the castle."

"I look forward to it!" Cid did a mock bow, then left, chuckling to himself. Rosa made for the kitchens, where she dropped off the tea tray, then went to West Tower to find her husband.

When she got there, he was busy loosening his armour, depositing the many pieces in the corner. When it was all removed, he changed into a cotton tunic before turning to his wife and clasping her to his chest. "I missed you," he murmured, rubbing noses with her.

"And I you," smiled Rosa, wrapping her arms round Cecil's muscled yet slender frame. "How was Damcyan?"

"The usual. Hot, dry and sandy."

Rosa laughed. "Is Edward okay?"

"Oh yes, he's doing just fine. Says he misses everyone very much."

"Oh! We must invite him to Baron soon for a catch up." Cecil released Rosa and she perched herself on a stool to fix her hair. "Speaking of catch ups, I just spent some time with Cid. He says hello." Cecil nodded in acknowledgement as he lay back on their bed with a contented sigh.

"Any bad news?"

"We had a few escaped chocobos, but Ceodore dealt with those. It was so funny, watching him tear round the courtyard after these flapping yellow blurs!" She collapsed into giggles. "You would have loved it."

Cecil laughed also. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to see it. And how is Kain?"

"Recovering. Shall we go see him later?"

"Hmmm. Yes…but not yet." He sat up and beckoned to Rosa. "Come here…" She got up and approached her husband, who pulled her into his lap and kissed her deeply. "Let's have some time to ourselves first…" Cecil purred in her ear. Rosa giggled girlishly and let Cecil's strong hands tug at her clothing.

"Oh, go on then."

* * *

><p>Kain sat cross-legged on the end of his bed, absent-mindedly whittling a piece of wood. Since losing his lance, his hands never felt as busy as he was accustomed to, and as such, the mages had tried their hardest to occupy him, since he was still recovering and was banned from leaving the infirmary.<p>

Kain swore as he accidentally took off a chunk too large and the wood splintered like a stick snapped across somebody's knee. "Ugh!" he groaned, dumping the wood and knife by his bed and flinging himself backwards, head hitting the pillow hard. What was a dragoon to do? A mage came over, looking concerned, and picked up the broken wood. "Another mishap, Sir Highwind?"

"I told you, don't call me that. I'm not worthy of such a title. And yes, another mishap."

"Shall I find something else for you to do?"

"I want to have a walk, but nobody's letting me out."

"Hmmm…" The mage felt his forehead and took his pulse. "How is your appetite?"

"Ravenous," replied Kain, his stomach rumbling on cue and making the young white mage laugh.

"I'll send for some food for you. After that, we'll all have a talk and decide if you're well enough to leave."

Kain nodded, acting like he understood, but inside he was full to bursting with pent up boredom. He _needed _something to do. He had been holed up in the infirmary for about a week and it was getting on his nerves.

There was a tap at the door, which was slightly ajar. A mop of blonde hair peered round it. "Permission to enter?" Kain gestured for Ceodore to come in, and he did, holding something behind his back. "Hi. How are you feeling?"

"Bored," Kain said morosely. "What are you hiding?"

"Oh, this old thing?" Ceodore grinned sheepishly. "It's a gift. When Father visited King Edward in Damcyan, he returned with this. Edward was very sympathetic about you losing your lance, so he gave this to Father, to give to you!" With a flourish, Ceodore produced a lightweight lance with a crest etched into the blade. "What do you think?" Awestruck, Kain reached for it wordlessly. The young prince handed it over and smiled as Kain ran his fingers over the delicate instrument, mouth open in wonder.

"It is…Ceodore, it is beautiful…how can I thank you?"

Ceodore laughed. "Thank Edward, not me! And besides, that lance is rightfully yours. Look carefully at the crest on the blade." Kain's calloused fingers ran this time over the crest, and grateful tears shimmered in his eyes.

"This is my family crest," he whispered. "So this lance…"

"It belonged to your father, Richard, before you. King Edward said he found it while looking in the castle treasury. Your father must have visited Damcyan at some point, though what his lance was doing there is anyone's guess. Still, it's yours now."

"I am honoured…" Kain drew the lance close to his chest and grinned at Ceodore. "If this doesn't speed my recovery, I don't know what will." The both looked round as the door opened and a kitchen maid entered with a tray of food.

"I imagine this should contribute a little," Ceodore laughed, standing up and shaking Kain's hand. "I will leave you to eat, and I'll let Father know you've received your gift. Till we meet again." Dipping his head in farewell, he left the now much happier holy dragoon in peace.

Once Kain had eaten, he took the lance again and sat on his bed, staring at it in amazement. He remembered little of his father, Richard, but he knew he had been a dragoon just like him and he died when Kain was still young. He had been a good friend of the late King, and a skilled warrior. To have inherited something like this (at his ripe old age of thirty-nine) was amazing. Again and again Kain gazed at the crest adorning the blade. The late King had shown it to him when he had been much younger; it depicted a phoenix, wreathed in flames. He had always thought his family crest would be a dragon, but then he figured that would have been far too obvious. He quite liked the phoenix; it sort of symbolised him coming back to the side of righteousness, much like a phoenix is reborn on its pyre. With a smile, he set the lance aside and lay back on the bed, gazing at the ceiling.

Never did he think he could be more content and happy with life.


	4. Chapter 4

"It's getting dark now. Maybe we should get out of bed…"

"I don't really want to…" Cecil hugged Rosa back to his chest and nuzzled the top of her head. "I'm enjoying this." Rosa sighed and wound her arms round her husband's body.

"I know, and I am enjoying it too, but we did say we would go see Kain. I've been worrying for him."

"I'm sure he's fine. Somebody would have told us if anything had happened…"

"Yes, I suppose so." Rosa snuggled closer to Cecil; the tower could get a little chilly sometimes and her husband's bare skin radiated heat. She closed her eyes as Cecil stroked a slim finger up and down her back; it was rather relaxing. "So, how much longer do you plan to stay in bed?" she giggled. Cecil shrugged nonchalantly.

"I am sure there are things we should have been doing rather than…you know-"

Rosa groaned. In the eighteen years they'd been married, he still felt uncomfortable saying rude words. "Sex, Cecil. Sex. It's just one word. Get used to it!"

"It's such a horrible sounding word though." Cecil shivered. "But as I was saying, I was enjoying myself far too much to really care about my duties. A King does need a break every now and then, as does his-" he broke off for a moment to kiss Rosa, "-very beautiful Queen."

Rosa smiled. "I appreciate the compliment, but we really must go see Kain now. We have been in bed close to two and a half hours and I was banking on no more than forty-five minutes! Let's get a move on." She swung her legs out of bed and began searching for her clothes, as did Cecil (reluctantly). When they were both suitably dressed, they made their way to the infirmary (Cecil stopped for a quick chat with Ceodore about the lance first though). They found Kain busy with a piece of wire wool, buffing patches of rust off his gleaming blue armour; so intent was he in his work he did not notice the King and Queen enter. It was only till Cecil cleared his throat that he jumped and looked up. "Greetings, Your Majesties!"

"Oh, cut the fake formality," laughed Cecil, drawing up two chairs and sitting in one of them. "You look so much better now. How do you feel?"

"Brilliant," replied the dragoon with a smile. "But I must say, I've been so bored lately."

"You'll be up and about soon, I hope," Rosa interjected, her eyes large and hopeful. Kain nodded and resumed his work on his armour, occasionally blowing on it to disperse the metallic dust. "Have the mages decided on anything?"

"They just want to do a final check up, and then I'm off to do some training."

Cecil looked concerned, and he reached out a hand to close round Kain's slim wrist, making him look up again. "Give it a few more days. You have barely recovered."

"I know; that's why you're going to spar with me, idiot!" Kain laughed out loud at the surprised expression that crossed Cecil's face. "Come on now. We haven't fought in a year, and I feel my most comfortable around you. Help an old friend out, Cecil, eh?"

"Well…" Cecil thought hard for a good few moments, weighing up the consequences in his head. Then he nodded, giving Kain a soft smile. "Okay then. But just for you."

"Thanks, Cecil."

Rosa watched this scene with an amused expression on her pretty face. She knew flirting when she saw it, and the way Cecil was looking at Kain was most definitely flirtatious. Kain seemed quite amused by it all as well, for he punched Cecil gently in the shoulder, chuckling. "Know what I've just noticed?"

"What?" Cecil and Rosa said as one.

"You two need a bath. And a hairbrush." He burst out laughing as the couple looked at each other in shock; Cecil quickly tried to neaten his hair. "You can't be going round the castle like that, you two!"

"Damn it, Cecil! I told you we shouldn't have stayed in bed for so long!"

"You weren't complaining before you said that!"

"Well, I couldn't exactly complain when we were-"

"Too much info!" Kain held his hands up and they quietened. "Now, I'm sure you two had a lovely time, but there's a more important matter at hand."

Cecil frowned. "And that is?" Kain reached over the side of his bed and presented the lance. Cecil smiled and reached out a hand to touch the crest on the blade. "Ah, yes. I knew you would appreciate that." From beside him, Rosa gasped and leaned forward to examine it.

"I can't thank Edward enough," Kain grinned. "To have inherited something from my father is such an honour. And I also have to thank _you, _Cecil, for bringing it back to Baron. Truly, thank you…" He leaned in and kissed Cecil upon the brow; a way in Baron of showing utter gratitude towards both sexes. But even so, Cecil blushed furiously and had to look away, hands over his mouth to hide his wide smile. Rosa giggled and laid a hand on Cecil's shoulder. "You don't have to be embarrassed, you know," she said softly. "I'm not stupid. I know how you feel about him, Cecil."

"_What?" _the men cried as one, Kain dropping his lance in shock. "You feel _what _about me?" he asked in a low voice, quickly retrieving his lance and brushing a little dust off it. Cecil's blush did not fade, and he turned away with a groan. "This isn't…about what we used to do, when we were younger, is it?" Kain directed this question at Rosa, who nodded. "Oh, Cecil…" he breathed, as he put down his lance and grasped Cecil's hand, making the highly embarrassed paladin look back at the apologetic dragoon. "I had no idea you still felt that way…but we were young and hormonal, nothing more. And you knew it could be nothing more. The late King raised _you _as a son, so you had to have a wife when you inevitably became King yourself. I couldn't have been your lover…but tell me this; why do you still harbour these feelings for me?"

"I…I don't know, Kain," Cecil murmured, his eyes now on the floor. "I just always have. Aside from Rosa and you, I had no friends. And still, this is the way I feel…my only family are my wife and son, my brother having perished in the battle against the Creator...and still, my only friends remain to be you and Rosa."

"He was so upset when you up and left again," Rosa piped up. "Well, we all were. Ceodore was over the moon that you had accompanied him to attain his Proof of Knighthood, but then you suddenly said you hadn't fully atoned and ran off. Why?"

"Yes, why?" Cecil repeated. "I thought you may have told Ceodore something, anything, but he knew naught. We knew where you would have gone but knew not to disturb you…"

"I thank you for not following me," Kain replied softly. "I just…there was a raging battle in my head that wouldn't cease, and I needed more time alone to figure everything out. I couldn't have anyone else around me…I didn't want more people to get hurt by my actions. And now I have thought thoroughly and know my course…yet I can't tell you my resolution. It's…a personal matter."

"Personal?" Cecil enquired.

"Yes, personal. So forgive me for not being able to tell you…it may come in time."

Rosa's face brightened and she sat up a little straighter. "In time…so that means you're staying?"

"Of course," he smiled. "I wouldn't want to leave my friends again, would I? And I think an apology to Ceodore is due for abandoning him after our travels last year."

"He'd like that. He really grew close to you and missed you terribly when you were gone."

"I'm sorry."

"What's past is past," murmured Cecil. "We would do well to forget it, as we can forge anew, correct?"

"Correct," Kain agreed.

"And…_I _am sorry for not being able to let go of my feelings for you." Cecil dipped his head. "Can you forgive me?" Kain grasped his hand again and squeezed it with a small smile.

"Of course I forgive you. I once felt the same way about you…but these things come and go in our lives. I'm flattered, though; flattered that you would still take an interest in me. But I could never compare to Rosa, your true love."  
>"Well…" Cecil chuckled, and Kain released his hand so he would wind an arm round a giggling Rosa, "I know I would not give her up for the world. Thank you, Kain. I feel I can move on now."<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

A month passed, and the whole of Baron seemed to have suddenly cheered up with the return of its most renowned dragoon, and a holy dragoon at that. After being deemed fit to leave the infirmary, the first thing Kain had done was go straight to town and visit the people, to get re-acquainted with them. His view that he had atoned for his sins left him much less reluctant to speak to people, and he told of his experiences freely. Rosa's mother Joanna was particularly pleased to see him again, and they spent much time talking about when they grew up together. Kain had left the house with a confident smile, something nobody had seen since forever.

The room he once inhabited as a young man was his again, and as Kain sat on his bed, combing his long hair in the dim light of dusk, he thought. He felt guilty for not being able to tell Cecil and Rosa about his past predicament, but he knew there would be blood shed if they knew. The best thing he could do was try to push it aside and forget about it, but it wasn't easy at all.

There was a gentle tap at his door, and Kain looked up, surprised. Nobody really visited him except Ceodore, so he assumed it was probably him. "Who is it?" he called.

"You know who it is, dumbass," laughed Ceodore, pushing the door open. "I'm the only one who comes up here now." At Kain's bidding, he entered and got comfortable on a chair. "How are you? I haven't seen you all day."

"Oh, I'm fine," he lied. "How about you?"

"Well, I was just speaking to Father, and he says the position for Captain of the Red Wings is vacant again. He'd love you to take the place back."

"Oh, really?" Kain asked, surprised that Cecil had offered him the position he had run away from. The King had cheered up substantially since Kain's return, and seemed to be on the way to coming to terms with his feelings. Every now and then they would meet up for a drink and talk about recent events, and every time, Cecil appeared more and more relaxed and at ease with his surroundings (though it could have been the alcohol too). "Yeah, really," Ceodore replied with a smile. "We're due to head out soon and if nobody takes the place he's going to shove it on me! I'm only sixteen and I flat out _refuse _to be in charge of the Red Wings! Come on, Kain! Will you take it? You are a born leader."

Kain smiled at Ceodore's praise. "It's tempting…well, I suppose I'm a little rusty, but why not? Oh, go on then. I'll do it!"

"Brilliant!" Ceodore jumped up to give Kain a hug, which shocked Kain completely and half knocked the wind out of him. "We go tomorrow at dawn; we're to help rebuild a village near Fabul. We were meant to last year but they refused our help; now they've asked for assistance. Ursula and Uncle Yang are coming along too, I think. So I'd best go tell Father you've accepted!" He grinned widely and dashed from the room, leaving Kain utterly confused.

"Why was he so enthusiastic…?" he muttered to himself, putting his comb aside and instead leaning over the bed to pick up a few pieces of armour, starting to buff and polish them. "Strange…"

Kain fell into a nervous sleep around nine o'clock, knowing he had to be rested if he was to wake at dawn, but at the same time it had been a long time since he had commanded _anyone, _let alone the Red Wings. With Cecil's excellent leadership skills to live up to, he was in for a rough time, he thought. He woke at half past four in the morning and had a quick wash and shave before dressing and hurrying off to meet the Red Wings on board their airship; he spotted Ceodore a little way away, wiping his sword and frowning. The men all looked positively ecstatic that Kain was to be commanding them once more, since he only managed a month with them last year before running away. "Good morning, everyone!" he called. "Now, I was only told last night that I was wanted for Captain, so somebody brief me on the mission in better terms than Ceodore did." Ceodore laughed at this and went back to cleaning his sword with an amused expression. One of the Red Wings stepped forward and handed Kain a scroll, which he unfurled and quickly scanned. "Okay…well, Ceodore pretty much explained it to me last night, but this is a bit more detailed. Sounds simple enough to me…okay, is everyone ready to go?"

"Yes, Captain!"

Kain gave the scroll back and clapped his hands together. "Okay, we had best be off then!"

"One moment!" A voice rang out from behind Kain and he whipped round to see Cecil hurrying down the castle steps in a fluster. Immediately, the Red Wings snapped to attention, including Ceodore and Kain. "At ease…at ease…" Cecil panted, rubbing his chest. Then he straightened up and smiled at Kain. "I had no chance to see you yesterday, but I was pleased you accepted the position. I wanted to wish you good luck, since I know you are nervous."

"Just a little," I laugh. "Thanks, Cecil. We won't let you down."

"I know you won't," he replied softly, then turned his attention to Ceodore. "Behave, Ceodore! I don't want to hear more stories about you when you come back!"

"Father!" Ceodore moaned, his face flushing crimson. The Red Wings laughed; it was no secret that Ceodore was the wild child of the bunch, being the youngest. "I really hate you sometimes…"

"I love you too," Cecil smirked, then clapped Kain on the shoulder. "Fly well. Good luck to all of you." He stepped off the airship and saluted, which everybody else copied. The airship began to ascend, and Cecil continued to watch, a proud smile on his face. Only when it had vanished over the mountains did he turn round and walk back to the castle.

Meanwhile, Kain had retired to his room on board and sat on the bed, drumming his fingers absently on his lance. It would only be two hours to Fabul, but he still felt confused and did not want to project his feelings on the men, so he decided being away from them was best.

But of course, Ceodore insisted on coming to find him. "What are you doing in here?" he asked mildly, poking his head round the door.

"You're supposed to knock," Kain pointed out.

Ceodore laughed. "I'm royalty; I can do what I want!" But nevertheless, he shut the door and knocked on it a few times. "Can I come in now?"

"…Okay then," Kain sighed, knowing there was no way he could get rid of the prince, who came in again and eyed Kain's lance. "You decided to bring it with you, I see."

"Yes."

"Best forge a good history with it then. You'll be expected to carry on your father's work with it."

"Of course," Kain nodded. "I plan to. Aren't you sitting down?"

"Yes, Captain," he smirked, pulling up a chair. "I'm glad you're back with us. It really wasn't the same. And you can protect me from Ursula!"

"She's a lovely girl…sometimes, anyway."

"Yeah, but she always pesters me non-stop when I'm around! It's like she fancies me or something…" Ceodore shuddered. Kain frowned at this, and set his lance aside to focus his attention on Ceodore properly. "I mean, she's my godsister, if that's even a word, so it's not a blood issue, but still…"

"What is wrong with Ursula maybe having a crush on you?" Kain asked.

"I…well…" Ceodore seemed just as flustered as his father earlier. "It's just…she's Ursula, you know? And she's older than me."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"I'd feel weird if I dated a girl older than me." Ceodore picked at a loose thread on his tunic and muttered something under his breath that Kain didn't quite catch; all he heard was, "-wouldn't want to…"

"What did you say?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." His face scarlet, Ceodore jumped up and hurried out of the cabin. Kain frowned after him, as confused as he was when Ceodore hugged him the previous night. _Sounds like he's scared of girls…hm. Odd. _Kain stood up and left his cabin, searching for Ceodore to make sure he was okay. He saw him conversing with the Red Wing piloting the airship in hushed tones, his face still red. When he saw Kain he jumped as if shot and quickly turned away. _I don't get it…what's up with him?_

Two hours later they touched down outside Fen, a medium-sized village situated in the forest near Fabul. It had been one of the most badly damaged areas after the fall of meteorites, and work to repair had been slow on account of Fen being largely populated by senior citizens and most of Fabul's monks being too busy to assist. This time, however, Yang had been able to spare a team of twenty, as well as his daughter Ursula, who came on board the airship to speak with Kain while he and the Red Wings had a quick breakfast. "They're just getting all the tools into place and whatnot," she said, waving a hand at the scurrying monks a few yards away.

"Your father isn't here," he commented.

"No, he'll be here to assist later, but he's got other stuff to do right now. When the hell did you come back? Ceodore told me last year you just up and left!"

"I'm not proud of it, Ursula, but it had to be done. I needed time to think some more."

"After seventeen years holed up on Mount Ordeals, you needed _another _year?" Ursula smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. "Ugh, men. I will never understand you guys."

"We'll never understand you women either," Ceodore piped up.

"You're not supposed to," she replied in a false sweet voice, then jumped out of the way as Ceodore threw his spoon at her head.

"Ceodore!" Kain warned, and the boy blushed. "Behave yourself."

"Sorry, Ka- um, Captain." He retrieved his spoon and resumed eating. Ursula laughed at his startled expression, then adjusted the scruffy tunic she had donned for work in place of her usual red cheongsam. "I'd best get back to organising those buffoons. Be seeing you all soon!" She waggled her fingers and jumped off the airship, running back towards the congregation of monks. Once she was gone, Ceodore heaved a sigh. "Thank God!"

"Show some respect," Kain said sternly. "She may be your godsister but she is still a princess. That goes for all of you; respect! And I expect you to be on your best behaviour when Yang arrives. Monks may appear laid back, but they pack a punch."

"As I've learned…" muttered Ceodore, remembering the numerous fights he had with Ursula when they were growing up. They used to hate each other until Ceodore patched up her knee when she had fallen over aged nine. From then on, they had been 'friends,' as was the usual term, but Ceodore saw them as rivals, similar to how Cecil and Kain still viewed each other despite their close friendship.

The Red Wings finished breakfast and joined the monks in hauling stone and timber, hammering nails, fitting panels and windows. Kain relished the hard work, as he had felt a little bored as of late, not having much to do with his hands other than polish his armour or lance. His men worked just as hard, though a few times he had to tell them off for slacking or talking, and Ceodore got into trouble more than anyone else, mostly for messing about, but at one point he got annoyed with Ursula and threw a hammer at her this time, striking her square on the chin and almost breaking her jaw. She probably would have broken Ceodore's had it not been for Yang arriving in the nick of time and pulling her away to have 'a quiet word.' Kain's own 'quiet word' was certainly not quiet, almost shouting himself hoarse at a grumpy Ceodore, who just looked the other way with his arms folded. "What's gotten into you?" Kain demanded. "You never act up this much!" Ceodore just shrugged. "You may be the crown prince of Baron, but that gives you no right to misbehave as you do! Do you want your kingdom's reputation tarnished by the fact that the King's only son is stooping to the level of a naughty five year old? And what's more, you disrespect me, your captain! Prince or not, you do as I say when out on a mission, instead of ignoring me as you're doing now, understand?"

"..Yes," Ceodore muttered.

"Yes _what?"_

"Yes…Captain."

"Right. Now get back to work. I don't want to hear another sound out of you till we stop for a break." Kain snapped his fingers and pointed to his left, where Ceodore had left his tools. The prince glared at Kain with surprising venom, then stalked past him haughtily. Ursula watched, open mouthed, her own tools abandoned. Kain raised an eyebrow at her, and she quickly returned to her work. Kain sighed and turned to help a monk lift a beam into place over a doorway. He just could not understand Ceodore these days. The work quickly helped him forget about it though, and despite his penchant for not listening, Ceodore was silent for the next six hours, though he glowered at Kain whenever he looked over to check on him. Kain did feel guilty for yelling at him, as he was very fond of the young prince, but he couldn't let friendship get in the way of what was necessary. He would have to inform Cecil about what happened when they returned; he would write it down in his report when they finished working for the night, though that was a long way off yet. At one o'clock, the monks and Red Wings stopped for lunch, and Ceodore and Ursula pointedly sat far away from each other. Yang, on the other hand, settled down on Kain's right and gave him a rare smile. "It's good to see you again," he said in his ever-polite voice. "I must admit I was worried when I was told you had left Baron once more. Were you successful in what you wished to achieve, though I know not what it was?"

Kain nodded. "I believe so. And I must apologise for Ceodore's appalling behaviour earlier."

Yang waved a hand airily. "Not to worry; I wouldn't say Ursula deserved a hammer to the face, but her saucy tongue does often land her in trouble. She is a little bruised along her jaw, but she receives worse than that during training."

"Rest assured though, Ceodore will be punished."

"It pains me to know it is necessary." Yang dipped his head and started on his meal, as did Kain. His eyes fell on Ceodore, who was whittling a piece of wood absently, his plate hardly touched. "Eat something, Ceodore," he called over to him. "You need your strength if you wish to carry on working."

"Hmph." Ceodore dropped his knife and pulled his plate towards him with a contemptuous glare at Kain. His behaviour was starting to unsettle Kain now. He would have to talk with the boy later on and decide on his punishment as well as ask him what the hell was up! The rest of the Red Wings and the monks conversed freely among themselves as they ate, and when everyone was finished and had had a good drink of water, they all got back to work. Kain helped Ursula hold a glass window pane in place while she sealed around it with a slightly wobbly hand. "How's your jaw?" he asked her.

"It kinda aches a bit, but I've had worse. Don't worry. And man, you have a set of lungs on you!"

"I'm sorry you all had to hear that."

"Well, how else were you going to get the message across? _You're _the authority until Ceodore sets foot back on Baron soil. He'll cheer up soon enough, he always does." Ursula flashed Kain a cheeky grin, then stepped back to admire her handiwork. "Hmmm…not bad, if I do say so myself!"

"Good job," Kain agreed. "You're one of a kind, eh? Most Baron women would not be seen dead doing a man's job!"

She shrugged. "I grew up around men and a mother with a fondness for hitting people with frying pans. It was obvious I was going to grow up to fit in amongst men. I prefer it that way; women have so much expected of them and I hate it." She pulled a disgusted face. "They have to cook, and clean, and marry and have children…ugh. I don't think I'll _ever _have children."

"You're the heir to the throne, so it will be expected of you," Kain chided as they moved onto a second window.

"I know, I know, but still…I'd hate having to be a typical wife, married to a boring old monk that Dad will probably choose for me. What about you? You're getting on a bit now-"

"I'm thirty-nine!"

"You're still going grey." Kain's hands immediately jumped to his hair, inspecting his reflection in the glass. He wrinkled his nose; he hadn't really noticed the grey in his fringe till now. "Thanks," he muttered.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. What I'm saying is why haven't you married and had children?" Ursula looked very curious.

"Marriage and children don't interest me," Kain said shortly.

"But…you're from Baron! It's expected of you!"

"I'm not royalty, so not so much."

"You're still the best friend of the King! Wait…if a man doesn't want to marry or have children, that usually means-"

"Let's talk about something else," Kain cut in quickly. Ursula frowned, the words on her lips, but she sighed and changed the subject, much to Kain's relief.

_Phew!_


	6. Chapter 6

The first day of repairs came to an end at half past nine. With the combined efforts of the Red Wings and Fabul's monks, the rebuilding of Fen was coming along swiftly, and they would only have to remain there another day, Kain predicted. He was very proud of what they had all achieved. He was even proud of Ceodore, though the boy remained a little grumpy with him and spoke little as they settled down for their evening meal that they again had with the monks. Ceodore cast aside his pride and murmured something to Ursula, who nodded and hugged him with a smile. Kain took that to mean that he had apologised for hurting her, and he smiled also at Ceodore when he looked up. Surprisingly, Ceodore smiled back, and after finishing his dinner he scooted round to the other side of the fire, crouching beside Kain. "Good job today," Kain said.

"Yeah…we did well." Ceodore ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it, and stretched his legs out. "Listen…I'm really sorry for earlier. Hitting Ursula and ignoring you and all that. I guess I'm not used to being yelled at by anyone other than Father."

"I'm glad you apologised," Kain replied after a few moments, swallowing his mouthful, "but what you did was inexcusable, and I will have to discipline you and report the incident to Cecil."

Ceodore dipped his head. "I understand."

"Good…your punishment, however. Under normal circumstances, you would be lashed, but you are the King's son, and I can't do that. Not to mention the fact that you are under seventeen and thus not a man yet, to lash you would be unacceptable. Therefore…" Kain turned to Ceodore, a hard gleam in his eye. "It pains me to do this, but after this mission, when we return to Baron, you are hereby dismissed from my command until your father and I deem it fit for you to return and you have proven yourself to be mature."

"K-Kain!" Ceodore gasped. After hearing that, he almost preferred the lashing!

"Captain," Kain corrected him softly. "I'm sorry, Ceodore, but there is nothing else I can do. All I can suggest is you work hard tomorrow."

"I…" Ceodore stared at the ground, trembling a little. Kain reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "I'm such an idiot," Ceodore whispered, dropping his head into his hands. "All because…"

He trailed off and didn't complete his sentence. "Ceodore?" Kain asked quietly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "Not yet…maybe in time."

"You certainly are acting funny."

"I…" was all Ceodore could say. Kain was sure he could feel someone watching him, and when he looked up, he noticed Ursula staring, the firelight dancing in her eyes. Kain quickly took his hand off Ceodore's shoulder; she raised an eyebrow at him before going back to her food. It was like she knew what he was thinking, or just knew, full stop. _Women! They don't half irritate me sometimes! _Kain sighed and went back to his dinner, but found he wasn't hungry anymore; his stomach was doing somersaults. Eventually he turned in for the night early, the battle in his head raging once more.

* * *

><p>Ceodore was obviously shocked by his dismissal from the Red Wings, but deep down he knew it was the right punishment. He had heard stories about people whose lash wounds had become infected and crawled with maggots; he would rather not suffer that, once he thought about it. He hated that he had made Kain angry. Kain rarely raised his voice, as it carried enough authority to make anyone shut up (Ceodore often thought Kain had a better authoritative voice than his father, who always spoke softly, barely above a whisper), but when he did, it was pretty scary. Ceodore retired to the soldier's barracks soon after Kain left, his head full of thoughts that he would rather push aside. He fell into an uneasy sleep, and when morning came he threw himself into his work, doing almost twice as much as most of the men and monks, in an effort to forget everything. Kain watched him carefully most of the time, and when the rebuilding of Fen was finally finished at eight in the evening, Kain touched him on the shoulder and smiled. "Good job," he murmured.<p>

"It won't help me come back any quicker though, will it?" Ceodore sighed. Kain tapped his nose.

"I'll be the judge of that. Go on, say goodbye to Yang and Ursula, and I'll meet you on deck." He walked away, humming to himself, leaving Ceodore to approach Ursula and Yang, who were packing up tools. "You're going now?" Ursula asked.

"Yeah."

Yang wrapped up a few more tools, then straightened, offering out his hand to Ceodore, which he shook. "Have a safe trip back," the High Monk said. "We cannot thank the Red Wings enough for your help. Please pass on our regards to your father."

"I'll do that." Ceodore turned to Ursula and gave her a quick hug. "Hope your jaw heals up soon."

"What, this old thing?" she laughed. "I'll be fine. Off you go now, or they'll take off without you." She let him go and smiled. "See you!"

"Bye, Ursula. Bye, Uncle Yang." Ceodore raised a hand in farewell and started back to the airship. When he was a few yards away, he heard Ursula pipe up in a loud voice, "Say hi to Uncle Cecil for me!"

"I will!" he called back. He was on the airship now, and he waved down to the monks. He chuckled at Ursula's comment. Since his father Cecil was Ursula's godfather, Ursula had always called Cecil 'Uncle,' and eventually Ceodore caught on, addressing Yang the same way. Though he and Ursula were sixteen and seventeen respectively, they had yet to break that habit.

The airship began its journey back to Baron, and this time Kain stayed out on deck the whole time, though he spoke little as he played cards with some of the men. Ceodore stayed leaning to the side, his arms dangling and head resting on the railing. He couldn't imagine his father being too happy with his behaviour, and he wasn't looking forward to him reading Kain's report, which would tell of it. Nevertheless, he had been careless, and he had to pay the price. Ceodore sighed and stared at the rushing landscape below till they arrived at Baron. Cecil must have been watching from afar, for as soon as the airship touched down he hurried down the steps to greet everybody, with Rosa following a moment later. Kain led the Red Wings off deck, single file, and had them stand in a line before the King and Queen, standing to attention. "I trust everything went well?" Cecil asked, walking up and down the line, inspecting the soldiers. He stopped at Ceodore and frowned. "What did you do?" he sighed, seeing straight through his son's façade. His gaze shifted from Ceodore to Kain. "Kain, did something happen? Ah…at ease, everyone." As the men relaxed, Kain held out his report to Cecil, who unfurled and scanned down it while Ceodore whispered to his worried-looking mother. Cecil's eyes grew narrow when he got to the part where it explained Ceodore's misbehaviour and his punishment; Ceodore looked terrified at his father's expression. Then Cecil sighed and rolled up the scroll again, tucking it into an inside pocket of his cloak. "Kain, you are free to dismiss your men. I will come and find you later. Ceodore-" he gestured, "with me. Now."

Kain sighed as heavily as Cecil had. "Dismissed," he said, then started off back to the castle as Ceodore shuffled over to Cecil. Cecil set off after Kain, his cloak billowing around him. Rosa hurried to his side and exchanged a few whispered words, to which he nodded. He led Ceodore to the throne room and seated himself on his throne while Rosa reclined on hers and read the report Cecil handed to her. "What on _earth _were you thinking?" Cecil demanded, though his voice still remained his trademark soft burr. "Not only did you disrespect your captain, but you injured a princess! What do you have to say for yourself, Ceodore?"

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, hands behind his back and head bent. Rosa put the scroll aside and shook her head.

"Oh, Ceodore…" she murmured, "you always were naughty…"

"I just said I was sorry!" Ceodore growled. "What else do you want of me?"

"Don't speak to your mother like that!" Cecil hissed. "For once, keep your temper. Kain was right to dismiss you indefinitely."

"What am I going to do now I'm not with the Red Wings?"

Cecil rubbed a hand across his chin, brushing the light stubble he had yet to shave off. "Whatever you want. You have already received your punishment; it's not my place to dole out more. But from now on, you will hold your tongue and your temper, because if you step out of line again, you will most likely be lashed. If that happens, you will bring shame on us…do you really want that, Ceodore?"

"…No, Father."

Cecil pulled a stack of paper towards him and indicated towards the door. "You can go now. I've nothing else to say."

Ceodore sighed. "Okay. Mother, can I talk to you in my room? That is, if you're not busy." Rosa looked surprised, and she looked over at Cecil, who was now writing away, but he nodded silently. "I'm coming," she said, standing up and gathering up her dress. She looked most curious as Ceodore led her to his room and she sat down on a chair, draping her cloak over her arm. "Is something wrong?" she asked softly. Ceodore perched himself on the bed and sighed again. "Is it your father?"

"No…but promise not to tell him this?"

"It depends on what it-"

"Mother, please, or I can't tell you!" pleaded Ceodore. She looked taken aback, but then she laid her hand over her heart and nodded. "It's not Father…it's Kain."

"Ah…he's never punished you before, has he? Or even raised his voice to you."

"It's not that…Mother, I think I've fallen for him." Rosa's eyes grew wide, struck dumb. Ceodore carried on, "I got really upset that I made him mad…I've felt this way a while now…since he rescued me last year, in fact. Nobody's ever really looked after me like he did (apart from you and Father, of course, but he was possessed at that point so he doesn't count), and…well, I think I just fell in love with him."

"Ceodore, I…" Rosa gasped, raising a hand to her face. "I…I don't really know what to say…does Kain know?"

"No…I couldn't bring myself to tell him. He wouldn't accept me."

"And I'm not sure Cecil will either…" Rosa sighed. "To be honest, Ceodore, I always had a hunch you weren't attracted to girls. You always pushed aside those who showed an interest in you and you hung around boys all the time…how long have you known?"

"Since I was twelve. You're not…ashamed of me, are you?"

Rosa shook her head. "Not at all, Ceodore. You'll always be my baby boy, no matter what. The problem is, your father isn't going to be pleased."

"Oh, lovely. I'm gay for Kain and Father's homophobic."

"Cecil isn't homophobic! He was once in love with Kain too!" Ceodore's mouth dropped open. Rosa laughed. "Yes, I'm telling the truth. He's only just come to terms with it."

"So he'll think I've stolen Kain from him?"

"No…think about it. You are the sole heir to the throne. What happens if you have no children? There will be nobody else to take your place. Of course, I can have another child, but…I wouldn't have you jealous."

"Do you _want _another child?" Ceodore asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I do get a little broody sometimes…but your father and I are getting older…"

"That doesn't matter! I've always wanted a sibling anyway!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, I'm not going to have any children, no matter what Father says, so I guess it's the only way."

"Yes, I suppose…" Rosa played with her fringe, eyes closed. "Do you want me to have a word with Kain?"

"No, I'll do it in my own time. Does this mean you accept me?"

Rosa rose from her chair and wrapped her arms round her son. "Of course I do," she replied softly. "I'm not as set in my ways as your father is. You can always come and talk to me about this, you know. And you needn't worry about Kain not accepting you, because I have a hunch that he may feel the same way about you…" Ceodore gasped with shock. "He never stops talking about you, son." Rosa drew back and giggled. "I'd wait for him to come to you, though. And be mindful of the age gap, he's a lot older than you, more mature, more experienced with life, though not so much with relationships…his only kiss was with Cecil."

"_WHAT?" _Ceodore jumped about five feet. "He kissed Father?"

"He did, when we were much younger. They were never together as a couple, but they often snuck out of the castle when night fell, to look at the stars and just kiss, really. It was really cute; in fact, I used to sneak out after them and spy!"

"Mother!" Ceodore groaned. "Too much info! That's so gross…I don't even think I could go to Kain now!"

"Sorry," she laughed. "But I know you; you'll still admit it to him sooner or later." She suddenly became serious. "Be careful, Ceo…he's so easily hurt. He was able to be possessed because of how much I hurt him…he once loved me too, and seeing me with Cecil broke his heart to the extent that he could be controlled on account of the hatred he felt for us. So, I beg you…if anything comes of this, please look after Kain. If you hurt him, I will come down on you hard!"

"I won't hurt anyone," Ceodore promised.


	7. Chapter 7

Since receiving his mother's blessing, Ceodore put all his effort into finding out if Kain really did feel the same way, as Rosa had said. He sparred with him regularly and assisted him round the castle in any way he could, but Kain let on absolutely nothing. Of course, Rosa was right, and Kain had fallen head over heels in love with Ceodore, but because he was so young, he refused to even indicate his feelings for the prince, for fear of hurting him and provoking Cecil's wrath. However, there was only so much he could take, and every time Ceodore came up to him with that gorgeous smile, those sparkling eyes, he wanted to hold him close and kiss him till they were both breathless. Kain knew what Ceodore was trying to do, and it hurt so much to brush him aside.

After two months, Ceodore eventually gave up and reverted to his usual friendly self, though he tended to droop whenever Kain was around. At this point he was still dismissed from the Red Wings as well, so he was constantly bored. He perked up a little if Kain and the Red Wings went out on a mission, for it meant he could freely roam the castle without bumping into Kain and having his heart flutter, then sink, but at the same time he missed Kain when he wasn't around. At that particular moment, Kain had left Baron to visit Mist with Cecil, and Ceodore had watched them leave with a heavy heart. How he wanted Kain, wanted him to hold him tightly, but to him, it seemed like his mother was wrong. It was now late evening, and he could see his father out of the window, laughing at whatever Kain had said.

It was too much for Ceodore. He buried his face in his hands and wept.

* * *

><p>"That was eventful!" Cecil chuckled as he pushed open the castle doors and stood aside to let Kain through first. "I swear Edge is supposed to live in Eblan, not cling to Rydia's skirts all the time!"<p>

Kain laughed out loud. "I don't think he'll ever leave her alone!"

"When will he get the hint that she doesn't like him like that?"

"Never! This is Edge we're talking about!"

"Good point. Cuore has certainly grown as well."

"I barely recognised her, to be honest with you."

"Yes, it took me a while to realise who she was also." Cecil yawned. "I'm a little weary…I would return to my tower for the night. Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Most likely. I'm always around." Cecil smiled at Kain and nodded, then clasped his hand.

"Goodnight, old friend."

"Night, Cecil," Kain replied; Cecil released his hand and swept away. Kain removed his helm and pulled his hair free of its ponytail, letting it tumble over his shoulders. _What should I do now…? I suppose I should go back to my room for a while. _He started off back to his room, which was quite close to Ceodore's, and he debated looking in to check on him, since Rosa had told him he hadn't been himself recently. When he reached the door, he lifted his hand to knock, then paused. He could hear sobbing from within. This struck Kain as odd; Ceodore was strong, so what would give him reason to cry? Feeling nosy, he knocked on the door and called, "Ceodore? Are you okay?"

The cries ceased at once, though he heard a few sniffles. Then Ceodore said in a cracked voice, "W-What do you want, Kain?"

"I want to check on you. Can I come in?"

"…Yes." Kain opened the door and he gasped at the sight of Ceodore curled up on his bed, his eyes red and puffy and his cheeks wet with tears. "Oh, Ceodore…" he breathed, approaching and sitting next to him on the bed. "What's wrong? You never cry."

"I-I…" was all that the prince managed to stammer before he broke down again, rendering him incoherent. Kain wanted to badly to reach out to him, to hold his hand, but he couldn't. He was far too young. So he settled for rubbing his back soothingly till the flow of tears subsided a little and Ceodore was able to speak properly, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Tell me what's wrong," Kain murmured. "You can tell me, right?"

"I wish I could…" Ceodore whispered.

"I won't judge you, promise. Hand on heart, I won't judge you." Kain placed a hand on his chest and smiled. "See?"

"You'd hate me."

"I could never hate you."

"I…Kain, I…" Ceodore trembled with the effort of trying to tell Kain the truth, and his eyes filled up again. This time Kain couldn't hold back, and he reached out with both hands to wipe the boy's tears away gently. Ceodore's breath caught in his chest and he stared at Kain, mouth slightly open. His own hands closed around Kain's wrists, as if trying to feel if it was real; that Kain had touched his face with such gentle ministrations. "Kain…" he whispered. Kain smiled at him and withdrew his hands, placing them in his lap.

"You stopped crying, at least."

"Why…did you just do that?"

"I don't like seeing you cry," Kain replied. "Please tell me what's wrong. Your mother says you've been depressed recently."

"I'm just…I'm sorry." Ceodore shook his head. "You should ask her what's wrong. She knows."

"I don't want to hear it from Rosa. I want to hear it from you." Kain hesitantly put an arm round Ceodore's shoulders and was surprised when he leaned against him with a sigh. "Can I hazard a guess?"

"Sure," sniffled Ceodore.

"Is it because I kept rejecting your advances?"

Ceodore gasped. "Y-You-?"

"Of course I knew what you were doing," Kain replied. "I didn't want to hurt you…and you're so young, Ceodore…you don't know what you'd be getting yourself into."

"I don't care," Ceodore replied firmly, suddenly feeling strong enough to admit it to him. "I love you, Kain. I love you so much it hurts! Mother told me everything about what you used to do with Father, and I got so jealous…"

"I never loved Cecil," Kain sighed. "We were young, and liked to mess about with each other. The thing is, Cecil fell in love with me, and I knew it couldn't be, so we stopped eventually. It was fun, but it never went to anything else other than kissing. You, though…you're different…"

"What are you trying to say?" whispered Ceodore, his eyes wide.

"I'm trying to say I love you too…you were the reason I left. I felt so guilty…I was in love with a fifteen year old boy, and I felt sickened by it, so I had to run away for another year to get my head straight."

"Oh, Kain…you should have just told me."

"I couldn't. You were too young, and you're still too young now. Even then, what could we do? Your father will have an absolute fit."

"I don't care!" Ceodore repeated, grabbing Kain's hands. "I'm almost seventeen, and I'll be a man! Father can't stop me then, and Mother says she's helping me!"

"What do you mean?" Kain looked down at their linked hands and repressed the urge to stroke the back of Ceodore's with his thumbs.

"You didn't know? Mother's trying for another baby so I don't have to have children. I've always wanted a little sister or brother. It'd be awesome!"

"I didn't think she'd do so much for you," Kain admitted, "and I know she gets broody sometimes…what a lovely surprise! But still…Ceodore, I am so much older than you…"

"It doesn't bother me one jot," Ceodore smiled; he released one of Kain's hands to cup the dragoon's cheek. "Please don't resist me…I want to be with you. I think you're beautiful, and you make me smile, and you've been a good friend to me. I…I love you…" Ceodore sniffled, a single tear dripping down his cheek. Kain wiped it away with his thumb, gazing into Ceodore's glistening blue eyes. "You're not making this any easier for me," he chuckled softly. Ceodore just continued to look at him, a pink blush dusting his cheeks. He was too scared to make a move. He had never had a relationship or even kissed anyone. All he knew was that he wanted Kain to kiss him, and the older man seemed to be nearing him, ever so slowly, and when he was mere centimetres away Ceodore's eyes slipped closed involuntarily and his breathing turned shallow in anticipation. He felt Kain's calloused hand brush against his cheek and he whimpered softly in response; this did it for Kain and he finally closed the gap, sealing their mouths and making Ceodore moan in bliss. Kain's lips were so much softer than he had ever imagined and when they opened their mouths, allowing their tongues to meet, Ceodore tasted the strong tang of some unknown spirit, and he delved in deeper, wanting more, wrapping his arms round Kain and tugging him even closer.

Kain was in utter heaven; Ceodore proved to be quite a capable kisser, and eventually Ceodore fell back onto the bed, pulling Kain with him so he lay on top, kissing and kissing him like his life depended on it. Ceodore moaned again, more softly this time, his hands wandering over Kain's armoured back and threading through the silky strands of his hair. Suddenly Kain gasped against his mouth, and he jumped back quickly, his eyes wide and hands over his mouth. "What's wrong?" Ceodore frowned, reaching a hand out to Kain, relieved when he did not draw away. "Did I do something I shouldn't?"

"N-No," Kain murmured, shaking his head, "I just felt I was going to lose control…you're so young…"

"I'm seventeen in two months!" Ceodore groaned. "When will _anyone _see I'm going to be a man soon?"

"You have a baby face," Kain chuckled. "You're always going to look so young even when you become a man. But if you want to take this any further-" his voice became serious, "it has to wait, understand? At the moment, we stick to kissing and nothing more, lest anybody find out and have me clapped in irons."

"Yes, Captain," Ceodore smirked. "I understand. I wouldn't make you do that anyway, I'd be way too shy at the moment! Not that…I haven't thought about it…" He flashed Kain a slightly seductive look. "Dreamt about it…"

"Don't," Kain groaned. "You're not going to tempt me, Ceodore."

"I'm only messing…so, does that mean we're together now?" Ceodore's big blue eyes became hopeful, glittering expectantly. Kain pretended to think about it, then held out his arms so the younger boy could snuggle up to him. "If you're willing to brave your father's anger-"

"Which I am!"

"…Then I don't see why not," Kain said softly. He reached up a hand to sift through Ceodore's short spiky hair; he closed his eyes and let out a happy sigh in response. "Will you tell him?" Kain added.

"I don't know," admitted Ceodore. "I know he'll be mad at me, and probably even madder when he finds out Mother is trying to get pregnant to save my ass, but…if he gets too angry, I'm out of here. He's so restrictive and protective! I'll run away for a while and see how he likes it then."

"I'd come with you, of course," Kain said. "I can't say I agree with running away, but (and I'm not trying to sound shallow) I'd rather not get my ass kicked by Cecil twice as hard because you legged it out of Baron. Besides, I'd have to look after you, wouldn't I?" He rubbed noses with his new partner affectionately, then kissed the tip, making Ceodore squeal. "So, that's settled?"

"Yeah," Ceodore murmured happily. "You're, like, my new boyfriend and all that."

Kain laughed. "I'm thirty-nine! I'm a bit too old to be called a boyfriend!"

"Well, _I'm _sixteen and I'm not calling you my partner, or I'll sound as old as you!"

"Lovely," Kain chuckled. He leaned down to peck Ceodore on the lips, and just as he pulled away there was a tap on the door. They jumped apart at once as Rosa's excited voice called out, "Sweetie? Are you in there?"

"Come in!" Ceodore called back. His mother rushed in, her face radiating happiness and joy. "Hey, what happened?" he laughed, standing up to greet his mother; Kain inclined his head to her and smiled. Rosa touched her stomach with a giggle. Ceodore's jaw dropped. "R-Really? You're pregnant?"

"Yes!" she squealed, throwing her arms round her son. "You should have seen your father's face!"

"How did he react?" Kain asked, laughing as he stood to embrace Rosa also and kiss her cheek in congratulations.

"He fainted!" All three burst out laughing. "Well," Rosa added, "he woke up about a minute later and thought he'd been dreaming, but then he got really excited like he was twenty again! Oh, it was so cute! He's really excited; I can't wait to tell everyone else!"

"Baron's going to love it!" Ceodore crowed, hugging his mother again. "This is brilliant! I get a sibling _and _you saved my bacon!"

"Well," Rosa smiled, "I've yet to tell Cecil that, and I'm saying nothing till you come out to him. Speaking of which…" Her eyes darted between Kain and Ceodore, who noticed and blushed, "how are you two getting on?"

"Fine!" Ceodore blurted out quickly, giving the game away immediately. Kain groaned and covered his face with a hand. "Um, I mean," gabbled the younger boy, "everything's fine! He just came to check on me and-" Rosa raised an eyebrow, and Ceodore sighed. "Ugh…okay, jig's up. Kain and I are together now." Kain stared at him, mouth slightly open, blinking rapidly, but Rosa clapped her hands together and smiled at her son. "Good, good," she said. "I knew it'd only be a matter of time. Now, I have to get back to Cecil or he'll come looking for me, so all I'll say is _look after each other! _As I said to you before, Ceodore, be mindful of the age gap, okay?"

"Okay."

"Be good to him, Kain," she murmured, turning to her childhood friend. "Maybe, if Cecil sees how much you'll come to care for each other, he won't be as shocked."

"I'll do my very best, Rosa. I could never harm Ceodore any more than I could harm you or Cecil. I promise I'll be good to him."

"Oh, Kain…" Ceodore breathed, his hands clasped to his chest. "That's so sweet…thank you."

"He's always been a hopeless romantic," Rosa giggled. "Right, look after yourselves. I'm off back to my room." She turned to go, then seemed to think of something. "Oh, and Ceodore…?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"_Nothing sexual till you turn seventeen, understand?"_

"Course!" he replied cheerfully. "I can live with that."

"Good boy." Rosa opened the door and left. Once she was gone, Ceodore sat down heavily on the bed and wiped a hand across his face with a sigh. "Phew…that went well."

"I had no idea she knew about your feelings for me," Kain muttered. "She could have told me!"

"I asked her not to. I wanted to do it myself or it wouldn't have really had the desired effect. She said you might feel the same way cos you never stop talking about me."

"Well," the dragoon laughed, "there are a lot of stories to tell about you!"

* * *

><p>When Rosa returned to the tower, she found Cecil sat on the bed, leafing through what looked like a photo album. "What's that you've got there?" she asked, sitting down next to him. Cecil showed her the photos he was thumbing through; they were mostly of Ceodore when he was a baby. "Happy memories," he smiled. "I haven't looked at these in a while…and think, we shall be able to add more in due time…"<p>

"You really are excited, aren't you?" the Queen giggled.

Cecil nodded enthusiastically. "It'll be lovely to have a second child. Plus, when you were pregnant with Ceodore you positively glowed, you were so beautiful. It will be lovely to see you like that again."

"Thank you," she smiled. Her pregnancy with Ceodore had been a very easy, happy one, and with an equally happy husband by her side, it made it even better. Not to mention that Cecil seemed to find her body incredibly sexy during that time, and it had made for a rather adventurous sex life that hadn't seemed to have diminished, as even now Cecil was putting away the photo album and sliding his arms round his wife, trailing soft kisses down her slim neck. "What are you trying to tell me?" Rosa half giggled, half panted as she gripped Cecil's shoulders gently.

"Actions speak louder than words, my love," he whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

Ceodore couldn't wait till he turned seventeen. Not only did it mean he would officially be a man, it would mean most of the control his father had over him would be gone, letting him do pretty much whatever he wanted. He still had to wait another two weeks though; a month and a half had passed since his first kiss with Kain, and he longed for it to be more. Kain was likewise holding himself back, though he seemed to find the task a lot easier since he was often so busy, either with the Red Wings, or sparring with Cecil (and sometimes Ceodore, though he always went gentle on him), or holed up in boring meetings. Ceodore still being dismissed indefinitely from the Red Wings though, he was incredibly bored, and spent as much time with Kain as he could, slipping away with him out of Baron and into the woods, where they would observe the nature around them and enjoy each other's company, often spent lay in the grass, holding each other and kissing gently. Kain had almost forgotten his initial worries about Ceodore's age; he was too happy to let it get in the way of their fledgling relationship.

Cecil was getting suspicious though; he often queried as to why Kain and Ceodore spent so much time with each other now, but all Rosa could do was shrug and shake her head, seemingly mute as to the reason. Of course, she had been wise enough to say nothing till Ceodore believed the time was right; she wasn't happy with keeping secrets from her husband, but she knew it was not her place to tell him.

"It's not healthy, Kain," Cecil told Kain sternly as they came to the end of a training session. The King sheathed his sword and mopped sweat from his brow, breathing heavily. "What do you mean?" Kain said mildly. "I enjoy spending time with Ceodore, he's a lovely boy."

"I've no doubt, my friend, but you must remember that even though he is not under your command at the moment, you are still his Captain!" Cecil motioned for Kain to walk alongside him as he continued, "The other Red Wings will not appreciate a display of favouritism, and they may see it as special treatment towards the prince, which, as you know, I prefer it not to be that way, so Ceodore can concentrate on his mission without being burdened by his title along the way."

"I understand, Cecil. I'm not showing any special treatment, though. He's a good friend to me."

"Hmmm…" Cecil pushed some of his hair back from his face and fixed Kain with a hard stare. "I've got my eye on you two. Something doesn't add up."

"Ugh." Kain threw his arms in the air. "Shouldn't you be thinking more about your future child rather than something not worth worrying about?"

For the first time since training, Cecil smiled warmly, as he always did when he was reminded of Rosa's pregnancy. "Yes, I suppose so. Rosa has been at her mother's house today...she should be home soon."

"How is Rosa getting along?" They were in the throne room now, and Cecil settled himself down and began to clean his sword as Kain made himself comfortable on the raised platform the thrones were positioned on. "I don't believe I've seen her as much recently."

Cecil chuckled, though he did not take his eyes from his beloved Excalibur. "She mentioned she felt a little queasy when she woke up, but a quick helping of her craving soon sorted that out." Kain laughed at this; Rosa had developed a sudden craving for raw potato, which everyone in the castle found positively hilarious. It was so bad that she carried them pretty much everywhere with her, constantly nibbling away. "Do you think she will have a boy or a girl?" Kain asked.

"I'm not bothered, but it would be nice if we had a daughter. I think that is what Ceodore wants too. Speaking of Ceodore…since you two are so close, have you seen him at all today?" Kain shook his head. He was being entirely truthful; he had not seen Ceodore, but the night before, the boy had asked him to meet in the forest after training was over, under the pretence of taming a chocobo to replace one that had recently died in the stables from illness. Of course, they would actually have to tame a chocobo so Cecil would not get suspicious, but Ceodore had proven himself to be adept at the job.

When Cecil had finished cleaning his sword, he had some paperwork to do, leaving Kain with the excuse to slip away out of the castle, lingering only to stow his sword (he hardly ever used his lance when sparring with Cecil) away in his room and remove his armour to change into more comfortable attire, finally letting his hair down and combing it out before leaving, casting his eyes around carefully in case Cecil had come out of the throne room for whatever reason.

He reached the forest without any difficulty, and found Ceodore sat on a rock, petting one of the chocobos with a smile on his face. He looked up at Kain and the smile became even wider; he stood up and approached Kain with his arms held out for an embrace that Kain gave him, stroking his hair and kissing his forehead (with a little difficulty as Ceodore was rather short). "How have you been?" he asked the younger boy.

"I'm fine," he smiled. "I've been here ages; I love sitting with the chocobos. What about you? Did sparring with Father go okay?"

"I accidentally struck a bit too hard and my sword flew out of my hand," Kain admitted, scratching his head. "It hit Cecil in the face and gave him a bruise on his cheek, but he'll recover. He just laughed about it."

"Did he go on at you again?" When Kain nodded Ceodore looked worried. "Oh…do you think he'll ever stop?"

"Cecil is a very forgiving person," Kain murmured. Ceodore took his hand and led him away to a little clearing, away from the chocobos. "I'm sure he'll forgive and forget eventually, and with Rosa on our side, he's bound to see a good side to our relationship." Kain watched as Ceodore pulled off his scarf and set it aside, lying down on the grass with his arms behind his head.

"I'm going to tell him tonight," Ceodore murmured. "I don't want to hide anything from him anymore. I think he'll be angry, but he has a right to know."

"I agree," Kain replied soberly. He settled himself cross-legged beside Ceodore and picked a few blades of grass, starting to braid them together, frowning with concentration as he did so. "After all, it may be best to confirm his suspicions before he gets the wrong idea completely. I don't want him thinking I'm sleeping with you or anything!"

"Which, of course, you're not," chuckled the younger boy. "It'd be nice, but I'd rather you not get imprisoned for statutory rape."

"The feeling is mutual." Kain smiled at his finished braid and twisted it round his finger gently. "Should I be there when you tell him?"

"Yes, please. I won't feel as nervous then, I think." Ceodore rolled onto his side and smiled gently at Kain. "Will you still come with me if things get out of control?"

"Of course. I couldn't abandon you now, could I?"

"Where would we go?"

"I'd take you into the mountains, maybe. I'm accustomed to life up there; it's much easier than you think. Failing that, we could sail south-west towards Agart."

"Hmmm…I want to know what mountain life is like. Let's go for that one."

"You sound like you almost _want _Cecil to be mad!" Kain laughed. Ceodore grimaced and shuffled closer to Kain; the older man stroked his hair back from his face and smiled down at him. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I know he's not going to be happy, but what can I do?"

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry?" Cecil leaned forwards in his throne, scowling. "I don't think I quite caught that, Ceodore."<p>

"I said I'm in love with Kain!" Ceodore said, folding his arms. Beside him, Kain gazed around the room absently so as to avoid looking at Cecil, who had gone white with shock. Rosa sat on her throne with a slightly detached expression, thankful that Cecil had not pressed her for answers yet. "You're joking," Cecil murmured, running a hand over his face. "You have to be kidding me, Ceodore. You…you _can't _be…"

"I'm not sorry," Ceodore said defiantly. "I refuse to feel sorry for what I am. And besides, I'm not the only one; you were in love with him too!"

"That was long ago!" his father spat, rising from his throne abruptly. "What gives you the right to do this? Who will carry on our family's name? You cannot produce an heir if you run around after Kain for the rest of your life!"

"Um, duh. Mother's pregnant," pointed out Ceodore. "I don't _want _children, Father! I want Kain!"

"Quiet," Cecil muttered, and Ceodore fell silent, clenching his jaw. "Kain." Kain looked up, his face impassive. Cecil approached him till he stood only a foot away, staring up at him with blazing eyes. "You…you are supposed to be my closest friend…and you run off with my only son? Why would you do that to me?"

"Jealous?" Kain sniffed, folding his arms as Ceodore did. Cecil gasped, but before he could retort Kain carried on, "I left for Mount Ordeals because I was disgusted with myself for falling for Ceodore, who was fifteen at the time. Having come to terms with my feelings, I returned, though I never imagined him to feel the same way. I doubt it will sway your mind, but know that I am kind to him, and I have not touched him in any way. We're in love, and nothing you say will change that."

"I…I cannot _believe _you would…" Cecil trailed off. His fists clenched, and Rosa quickly leapt from her throne to hurry over and pull Cecil back a little, preventing him from lashing out at Kain. "Cecil, darling!" she protested. "Please, don't be angry! They do care for each other…Ceodore was so worried about how you would react, but please, at least try and be happy for him- no, for them."

"You knew?" he breathed, blinking at his wife. She nodded, face set. Cecil's expression changed from shock to horror. "You never told me…?"

"It wasn't my place."

"You had no right to withhold this information from me!" Cecil was close to shouting now, and Rosa flinched at his tone. "If you had told me, I could have done something about it!"

"What would you have done, send Kain away?" Ceodore raised an eyebrow.

"Possibly."

"Father, you're such a hypocrite!" he yelled. "How can you tell me off for being gay when you once loved Kain as I do? _You're _the one who has no right!"

"You will not speak to me like that!"

"I will speak to you however the fuck I want! You will not, I repeat _not, _stand in the way of me being happy! I'm supposed to be your son, not the family baby maker!"

"Silence!" thundered Cecil, shaking Rosa's arms off him and stepping forwards. "Hold your tongue, Ceodore!"

"Make me!"

Cecil growled, raising a hand threateningly, but Kain got there first, swiftly placing himself between father and son and striking Cecil hard, knocking him back a few paces with a surprised cry. "You will not touch him," Kain hissed.

Cecil stared at him, holding his cheek. Blood began to drip through his shaking fingers. "I could have you imprisoned for hitting me!"

"You'll do no such thing."

"How _dare _you…"

"I'm sorry it had to come to this," Kain muttered. He put his hand on Ceodore's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Pack your things. We'd best be off."

"Okay." Without a backwards glance, Ceodore fled the room before Cecil could call him back. Rosa sighed and shook her head with a saddened expression. "Cecil," she said softly, "won't you at least sit down and think about it?" She was met with such a venomous glare that she was silenced immediately. Then Cecil turned back to Kain and flicked his hand at him. "Go," he ordered. "Just…go, Kain."

"As you wish." Kain turned round and left the throne room, pausing once he had closed the doors to listen; Rosa and Cecil were now arguing heatedly. His heart sinking, ashamed that he had caused it all, Kain returned to his room and began to pack necessities for their trip into the mountains. Ten minutes later Ceodore slipped in and hugged him from behind. Kain could hear him sobbing and turned round to take the terrified boy into his arms and hold him close. "It's going to be okay," he whispered. "I won't let anything stand in our way. I love you, and you love me. That's all that matters. Now, are you ready to go?"

"Yes," sniffled the younger boy, indicating his pack, which he had placed on the floor. "But how will we get out of the castle without the guards noticing? Father is sure to tell them not to let us out."

"We'll go to the top of East Tower and I'll jump down out of the castle with you. Nobody will see us."

"Will it work?"

"I can jump high and far. I won't fail us, my love. This I promise you." He took Ceodore's hand and hefted his own pack onto his shoulder with his free hand, Ceodore doing the same. "Come," Kain murmured. They quickly hurried out of Kain's room, casting their eyes around for any sign of someone who might give them away. Luckily East Tower was close to Kain's room, and Kain released Ceodore's hand to wrap it round his slim waist. "Hold on tight!" he said, and Ceodore quickly wound his arms round Kain's neck, clinging on for dear life. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Right!" Kain bent his knees, then leapt into the air, shooting to the top of the tower with ease and laughing as Ceodore squealed with surprise. Kain landed on the slightly sloped roof and gazed down over the castle walls, looking for guards of any description. There were none, so he prepared to jump again. Ceodore had not moved his arms from round his neck, so he was ready as Kain leapt once more.


	9. Chapter 9

"Do you think anyone noticed?" Ceodore gasped as they touched down softly on the grass. Kain looked around quickly, shook his head, then took Ceodore's hand and ran north-west towards the Mist Mountains. They were somewhat slowed by their heavy packs and Kain's armour- light as it was for his aerial combat- but they were determined to get as far away as possible from Baron. None spoke throughout; they continued to run for well over half an hour, taking refuge in the woods when Ceodore became too tired to run further. "Just…let me rest…" he panted, sinking down onto a rock and rubbing his chest. Kain sat down also and opened the top of his pack, making sure he had brought everything he needed while holding out a water skin to Ceodore so he could drink. "Thanks…" Ceodore took a long draught. "So, where did you think would be the best place to go?"

"Somewhere near the waterfall." Kain waved a hand over his head, indicating the nearby waterfall, though the sound was still somewhat faint. "That way, we have access to water, and animals will go to drink there, so food is no problem. Also, I know of a cave we can shelter in." He rubbed his hands together with a short laugh. "What an adventure this is going to be!"

"How long will we be up there for?" Ceodore asked. "I only want to stay away as long as it takes Father to come to his senses…"

"I understand. We won't be here long. Now, are you ready to go again?" Ceodore stood up with a nod, and together they ran once more, stopping only when they came to the foot of the mountains and had to help each other up. After living on Mount Ordeals for so many years, Kain was used to the climb, but Ceodore struggled, so it took them a good few hours to reach their desired height. Panting, Ceodore observed his surroundings. Much higher up, he could see where a stream trickled gently into a wider river and eventually ran down to Baron Waterfall, where Kain now knelt, splashing the crystal clear liquid over his face and shivering pleasantly. The cave Kain mentioned lay about a hundred yards from the waterfall, and Ceodore walked over to it, peering inside to make sure there were no cave bears or other animals there. Satisfied that it was empty, he dropped his pack to the floor and stretched his arms; a minute later Kain came over and pulled a tent out of his own pack. Ceodore began to help him assemble it. "It's nice up here,"he commented.

"Beautiful, isn't it? I used to come here often when I was younger." Kain scowled at a stubborn tent pole he was trying to slide into place. "We'll be fairly comfortable up here."

"How will we hunt?" asked Ceodore. Kain pointed to the left of his pack, and the younger boy saw a slim buckskin tube and a quiver of arrows leaning against the wall. "Oh! I didn't know you knew how to use a bow."

"Your father taught me on our travels. Once this is up, I'll shoot us something to eat later." Kain emanated concern as he touched Ceodore's cheek. "You look tired. Why don't you rest awhile?"

Ceodore shook his head firmly. He was indeed exhausted from the running and climbing, but he was determined not to doze off. "I want to help," he said. What can I do?"

"See if you can't get a fire going," Kain smiled. "Have a look in the front of my pack; there's a tinderbox in there." Ceodore nodded and had a quick rummage for the tinderbox while Kain slid his bow out of its tube and slung the quiver over his back before moving to the mouth of the cave, keeping a careful eye on the waterfall. Ceodore was just about to leave the cave to pull some branches off a dead tree nearby when Kain murmured, "Wait," and held up a hand. A handsome young deer had made its way to the waterfall, its head stooped so as to take a drink. "He's beautiful," Ceodore breathed.

"He is, but unfortunately, we can't starve up here. Look away if you must." Kain nocked an arrow and sighted down the shaft with a practised eye, then let the tension go. The deer fell at once, and Ceodore winced, sad to see such a magnificent animal die; seeing Kain's expression he shook his head and hurried off for firewood.

* * *

><p>"It's late…" Rosa murmured, sitting down heavily on her bed. Since Ceodore and Kain left the throne room, she had not seen either of them, and neither had Cecil. When they didn't show up for dinner she began to grow worried. Cecil, however, said nothing, and when he returned to the room he shared with Rosa, he sat down at his desk and began to read silently. He had been unusually quiet, and had not acknowledged the fact that Rosa had just spoke. She rubbed her stomach with a small groan. "Cecil…"<p>

"Hm?" He didn't look up from his book.

"Please just talk to me properly, man."

"I am talking properly," he muttered.

"Oh, don't be stupid!" she sighed. Cecil had hardly spoken a word to her since their argument, which nobody really won since neither could get their point across over the shouts of the other person. It had, however, ended with Cecil storming out of the room in a terribly frightening rage. Rosa had no idea he would react so badly to Ceodore's news. She agreed with her son in that Cecil was acting very hypocritical, but when her husband got angry- which was hardly ever- he became downright unreasonable. The silence stretched by, until eventually an hour had gone by without either of them speaking. Fed up, Rosa got to her feet and made for the door. "Where are you going?" Cecil asked, finally looking up, if only briefly.

"I'm going to find Ceodore and Kain, and see if they're okay, since you've suddenly stopped caring about your son and best friend."

"If Kain were my best friend he would have shown me more respect than this!" Cecil banged a fist on his desk, his face reddening with anger. "Best friends-"

"Cecil, shut up!" Rosa shouted. Cecil's eyes grew wide in shock. "I have stood by you for years and never spoken a word when I should have done, but now I have decided that I am not to be silenced, and I refuse to listen to any more of your selfish slander! I sleep alone till you can learn to accept your son." Casting a contemptuous glare at her husband, Rosa stalked out of the room, heading first for Ceodore's room. She tapped on the door and found no answer; it was the same with Kain's room across the hallway. Sighing dejectedly, she resigned herself to searching all over the castle, but after an hour's good long search and a trip into Baron, she returned to the castle with nobody. _Where could they have gone? Unless…_

It hit Rosa that Ceodore and Kain must have fled Baron altogether, desperate not to be torn apart, as she knew Cecil would have done if they continued to see each other. _Oh, boys…I do hope you know what you're doing…_

With another, heavier, sigh, Rosa made her way back to Ceodore's room. If he had indeed ran away from Baron, she might as well use his room for the night, since she had absolutely no intention of returning to Cecil. They had only slept apart from each other, in all the eighteen years they had been married, when it was necessary, such as if Cecil was visiting another kingdom, leaving Rosa to rule Baron in his stead. Never once had one walked away from the other, and the couple were so deeply in love that they almost never argued…though when they did, the results were often catastrophic.

Though Rosa was strong, she could not help the stray tear that slipped down her cheek. This was not how it was supposed to be.

* * *

><p>Lit by the flickering flames of the fire, flashing red-yellow-white, the cave had filled with the pleasant scent of woodsmoke and the venison Ceodore and Kain feasted upon. Huddled by the fire for warmth, the couple watched the night sky and pointed out the stars and constellations they recognised, for it was now rather late. "You know a lot more than me," Ceodore chuckled. Kain shrugged, sucking his fingers clean.<p>

"When you live on a mountain for eighteen years with nothing but zombies for company, you sort of memorise the sky, you get that bored. Anyway, knowing the constellations and the North Star can help you when other forms of guidance are not available."

"Where is the North Star?" asked Ceodore. Kain pointed to a particularly bright star. "Oh…I really should have paid more attention in my studies."

"Astronomy isn't that interesting unless you learn it yourself." Kain paused to take a few more bites of meat. "I take it you disliked your tutor then? I _hated _mine."

"I didn't have one; Father taught me, but I never really listened. He also taught me about literature, but I enjoyed that."

"He always was a bookworm, ever reciting verses from poems and novels. When I was younger, I enjoyed being taught Geography, though of course my favourite subject was training."

"Is that even a subject?"

"You tell me. I was your age twenty three years ago. Times change- oh, save the bones, by the way. I can make something with them."

"Really?" Ceodore frowned.

""Yeah, I'll use them to make a stock or something. Believe it or not I can cook fairly well."

"Well, they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so looks like I'm the fortunate one!"

"You flatter me," Kain smiled, wiping his hands and getting to his feet. It was late, but he was alert, and he wanted to use the rest of the deer meat before carrion-eaters dragged the carcass away. He took a large pot from his pack and filled it with water from the waterfall, the set it over the fire to boil, adding the remaining bones. Ceodore watched him, wide eyed. He had no idea how to cook anything; the one time he tried, he had set his hair on fire somehow. "We won't be able to eat whatever you're making now," he said. "I'm stuffed from what we just roasted!"

"Me too, but unless we use up the rest of the meat now, a bear will take it. I'm making this for us to eat tomorrow. I can leave it to cook slowly overnight."

"Okay." Ceodore nodded enthusiastically. A breeze blew through the cave and he wrapped his arms round his shoulders. "I'm going to go sit in the tent for a while."

"No problem." Ceodore retreated away from the fire and slipped inside the tent, tugging a nearby blanket round his shoulders and sitting down cross-legged. There was considerable room in the tent, since it was an old one Kain had from his travels and could accommodate five people comfortably, and both Kain and Ceodore had brought a number of blankets and pillows that they had shoved down into the bottom of their packs (of course, it meant that when they wanted them, they had to take everything that was on top out, but Kain offered to put everything back and save Ceodore the hassle), so they would be warm in the bitterly cold nights.

Ceodore had obviously spent nights away from home, but he had never done so under the current circumstances. It made him afraid; afraid of the unknown. Suddenly, a shudder of sorrow wracked the young prince's body and he began to sob. He hated having to run from home. He just wanted his father to accept him, but when would that be? Kain must have heard him, for a moment later the dragoon was by Ceodore's side, hushing him gently and wrapping his arms round him, rocking him soothingly back and forth. "Ceodore, my love…everything is going to be okay. I promise you…"

"I trust you," he sniffled, "but I…I…" He wiped his streaming eyes on a corner of the blanket. "Why won't Father understand?"

"He will, in due time." Kain kissed Ceodore's brow. "If he doesn't…I've raised my hand to him before and I will do so again."

"I can't believe you hit him earlier."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not!" Ceodore let out a watery laugh. "He deserved it. And he _has _to accept me sooner or later, right? If he doesn't, I think Mother might leave him."

"It wouldn't surprise me; she's always been the one who understands, and if Cecil can't, she'd grow to hate him." Kain sighed. "Come on, how about we get some rest? It's very late, after all." Ceodore nodded, starting to remove the light armour he wore as Kain set about disassembling his own, which took no longer than two minutes. "You did that quickly!" Ceodore commented as he got comfortable. Kain laughed lightly in response.

"You can't have needlessly heavy armour when you specialise in aerial combat! It's very easy to put on and take off." Kain pulled another blanket closer and shifted over to Ceodore. "Now, would you rather I sleep away from you?"

Ceodore raised an eyebrow. "Why would I want that?"

"Well, it's entirely possible you want me to respect your privacy, and we haven't been seeing each other long-"

"Oh, shut up and lie down with me!" Kain hastily did as he was bid. Ceodore smiled gently and rested his head in the crook of Kain's neck. "Goodnight, Kain." Kain draped an arm over Ceodore's waist and kissed his brow again.

"Goodnight, my beautiful Ceodore…"


	10. Chapter 10

It had been four days since Ceodore and Kain fled Baron; it was only on the second day that Cecil finally realised they were gone, and for a few moments he seemed genuinely panicked, but then he had just sighed and gone about his business as usual. He and Rosa were still barely speaking and still slept apart from each other. Rosa was so pure of heart that she had never hated anybody, but she felt close to hating her own husband for his disgraceful actions. She had not yet told him that her pregnancy was planned so Ceodore would be spared unhappiness later in life, being forced to wed a woman he would never love. She only wanted the best for her Ceodore, and right now, the best was Kain.

But where had they gone? Rosa stood looking out of the window of West Tower, hoping to see something that might help her figure out where her son had run off to. The only way he and Kain could have gone was north, but they would never get further than Mist unless they scaled the mountains, which Rosa thought would be unlikely, since Ceodore was not confident with climbing. She came to the conclusion they were either in the woods or taking refuge in Mist; either way, Cecil showed no interest in finding them at all. She had yelled at him for this, but all he did was continue with his paperwork.

_I hope they're safe…_

Rosa was jolted out of her reverie by the sound of the door opening, though she did not turn round as Cecil strode in. He blinked a few times when he saw her. "So you finally see fit to grace our room," he said.

"Cut the sarcasm," she replied coldly, placing her hands on the window ledge. "I didn't come up here to be sneered at."

"So what _did _you come up here for?"

"To be a good mother and keep an eye out for my child!" she cried as she whirled round, making Cecil flinch. "I don't know what's gotten into you these past few days, but it's almost like you're not the Cecil I married!"

"I'm still the same person," he replied harshly, still stood near the door with folded arms.

"The Cecil I know and love is not a close-minded hypocrite."

Cecil's jaw clenched. "Will you stop calling me a hypocrite, Rosa? I tire of your repeated insults."

"Repeated _truths!" _Rosa turned to the window again and held back a gasp as she saw a little plume of smoke rising from the mountains near Mist. _Are they there? Oh, thank goodness they're close to home! _"Cecil, when you became King, do you know what the townspeople gossiped about? You and Kain! Some had seen you two together when you were younger, but did they judge you for it? No! What makes you think they will do the same for Ceodore? Or is Kain right, and you are just jealous of your own son?"

Cecil's face drained of the little colour it had. "I never knew they talked about that…" he whispered.

"Well, they did! And now you toss your son and best friend aside, as if to replace Ceodore with our future child!" Rosa spun round to face her husband and lay a hand on her stomach. "Do you know the reason I fell pregnant?"

Cecil frowned. "You desired a second child. That much I can deduce."

"Partly that, and partly because you cannot force Ceodore to have children of his own! I'm giving you another heir! Are you happy now, Cecil? Or does nothing make you happy these days?" Cecil turned even whiter at this news, his blue eyes so wide they looked close to popping out. He reached for a chair and collapsed into it, head in his hands. "You did this…for Ceodore?" he whispered.

"Yes. I would rather carry on our family name in an appropriate way, and forcing Ceodore to marry is _not _acceptable. I told Ceodore I would try for another baby, both to satisfy my broody urges and to make his life easier, not to mention he often tells me he would like a sibling." Rosa sat down on the bed and leaned forward, hoping Cecil was beginning to understand. "Do you see now? I knew how you felt for Kain, but it never stopped me loving you. Likewise, you can still love Ceodore as your son. Don't carry this on any longer, Cecil…please. I want my boy to come home. How can he do that, knowing his father resents him?"

"I don't resent him," Cecil muttered through clenched teeth. "I did not ask him to run away. The Red Wings were due to fly again soon, and without Kain, they cannot. I have had to put word out that they are both ill, which is why nobody has seen them. I suppose you heard from the castle staff, since you have not spoken to me for two days."

"Yes, I did. Nobody seems to be suspicious."

"That, I am thankful for. They cannot have gone far, which is why I haven't worried myself half to death, unlike you. Ceodore cannot stay away much longer; he will run out of supplies before long. He will have to come home."

"Will you punish him?" Rosa asked, an edge of panic creeping into her voice.

"No…what good would come of it? He would hate me, and Kain would most likely attack me again." He rubbed the welt on his cheek that had sprung up after Kain struck him. Rosa suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy and rose to approach Cecil, threading a hand through his hair. He sighed and turned his head, leaning in and resting it in her bosom, his arms slowly winding round her waist. "I have missed your touch these past few days…"

"I would not have had to withhold it from you had you not turned on Ceodore and Kain. You should be happy for them."

"It's just…Kain is so much older than Ceodore! I worry he will take advantage of our son."

"Kain is not like that. Ceodore already gave me his word that he and Kain would not engage in such acts till Ceodore turns seventeen." Rosa stroked a few candyfloss strands back from Cecil's face and tucked them behind his ear. "I think I know where they are; I will go in the morning to see them."

"You will do no such thing," Cecil replied, shaking his head. "I can't have you traipsing around after them while you carry our child."

Rosa rolled her eyes. "Cecil, you idiot. I'm only two months pregnant; I can handle a little trip."

"I would rather you-"

"Listen to me for once! I want to see my son, and nothing you say will sway me, understand? In the morning I am going to go and look for him and Kain."

Cecil sighed, but then he nodded and nestled closer to his wife. "Very well…then you had best get some sleep. Will you return to Ceodore's room?"

"If you want me to stay with you tonight, I will."

"Please do…I hate sleeping alone."

"Okay…I'll stay." Rosa let go of Cecil and went back to the window, scanning the mountains for the plume of smoke she spotted earlier. She had no trouble finding it, and she also thought she saw a flicker of a fire. _Near the waterfall…okay, I know where to go. _

"Still looking?" Cecil asked mildly, in the process of removing his armour.

"Just memorising where I need to go."

"Have you done so?"

"I think so."

"Why don't you come to bed then?"

"I'll be there in a minute." Rosa continued to watch the mountains, but saw no sign of Ceodore or Kain, just the smoke and occasional flash of orange. She turned away from the window with a sigh and crossed the room to rummage in a drawer for her nightdress, vaguely aware of Cecil's eyes on her the whole time. "Don't get any ideas," she said over her shoulder.

"I wasn't," he replied. "Can't a man look at his wife?"

"I'll give you that one," she said in a muffled voice, her dress halfway over her head. Cecil chuckled and deposited his armour at the foot of their bed, then pulled off his tunic and clambered into bed, still watching Rosa. He had tried to hide it, but he had missed not seeing her as much over the past four days (not to mention he was horny as hell!). Rosa eventually came over to the bed and slid in with her husband; he smiled warmly and tugged her closer. Rosa noticed Cecil had not apologised for his behaviour towards Ceodore, but if he was letting her see him in the morning, it looked like he was going to accept his son's relationship. With that thought in her mind, Rosa drifted off to sleep in her husband's arms.

* * *

><p>Ceodore woke early next morning, startled by the warm breath on the back of his neck. <em>What the…? <em>He turned round, then smiled, remembering Kain lay next him, deep in slumber. He and Ceodore had slept in the same room or tent before, during their travels last year, and admittedly, once they had woken up nestled into each other, but they passed it off as a silly mistake, though even then they were both in love with each other.

Ceodore pushed a little hair back from Kain's face and examined his sleeping partner. Kain's eyelashes fluttered every now and then, his breathing deep and even and lips slightly parted. The younger boy couldn't resist the temptation to kiss those beautiful lips, and he did so, a fleeting brush, but it was enough to wake light sleeper Kain, who raised a hand to the back of Ceodore's head, pulling him in for another kiss. "Good morning," he mumbled against Ceodore's lips. Ceodore chuckled and settled down in Kain's arms, stroking the older man's chest with soft fingers. "Did you sleep well?" Ceodore asked him.

"Not so bad…you had a nightmare, though. Your shouts woke me in the night." Ceodore shivered; he remembered his nightmare all too well. He had returned home, only to find that his father had still refused to accept his love for Kain and sent him away so they would never see each other again. Ceodore quickly blinked back tears and shook his head. "It's okay," he muttered. "I'm fine. Did I keep you up for ages?"

"No…you settled down after a few minutes, though you continued to cry. I felt so sorry for you…" Kain hugged Ceodore's shivering body closer. "Don't worry, nothing will touch you while I'm with you."

"Thank you, Kain…" Ceodore smiled. "I feel so safe when I'm with you…"

"I would rather have my body torn apart before anything could even get near you. Now I have something to protect, I'll fight to ensure I still can. You mean the world to me, Ceodore. I love you."

"And I you." Ceodore leaned up to capture Kain's lips in a soft, passionate kiss, gasping against the older man's mouth when he shifted their positions, gently laying Ceodore on his back so he could lean over him and kiss him with more ferocity. Though Kain was mindful of Ceodore's age, he could not help his hands wandering over his body, slipping up his tunic to brush over toned muscles; warm, smooth skin. Ceodore groaned softly; he loved it when Kain touched him, though he respected Rosa's wish and never ventured where he shouldn't. Eventually Kain pulled his mouth from Ceodore's and smiled down at him gently. "You really are beautiful," he murmured. "Fate smiled upon me when I met you."

"You're too kind, Kain." Ceodore could feel himself blushing, as he always did when Kain commented on his so-called 'beauty.' He couldn't see it himself, but when he looked at Kain, he found _him _beautiful. He barely noticed his scarred face and greying hair. Kain had aged well despite the trauma he had endured in his life, acquiring only a few lines across his forehead, and he had retained his youthful features and the glittering brown eyes Ceodore had fallen in love with when they first met. At first, they were all he could see of Kain, since he kept his face covered, but of course he removed his headgear whenever they slept and Ceodore had instantly been drawn to Kain and the aura of mystery that surrounded him.

"Ceodore…?"

"Huh? What?"

"You've gone off with the fairies."

"Oh…sorry." Ceodore shook his head with a grin. He loved thinking back to their travels together. Kain chuckled at his partner and lifted a flap of the tent, peering out. "Nice morning," he murmured. "Are you hungry, Ceodore?"

"Ravenous!"

"Come on then." He took Ceodore's hand and led him out of the tent- they were fully dressed as the night had been cold- towards the dying embers of the fire, over which still hung the pot Kain had been cooking in previously. Kain set about ladling the stew into bowls while Ceodore went over to the waterfall and splashed water over his face to refresh himself. Despite what had happened four days ago, he was content and happy now, and Kain seemed right at home as well. Kain called him back over and they sat down to eat. "What should we do today?" Ceodore asked. "I mean, what did _you _do, holed up in mountains?"

"A lot of things, surprisingly," Kain laughed. "We can go for a little trek later, if you want. I'll show you a few little places I know."

"That sounds nice…wait!" Ceodore's head snapped up sharply. "Did you hear that?" It was like a rock had fallen somewhere.

"Stay where you are." Kain reached for his bow, moving very slowly. He stood and fitted an arrow onto the string, peering round the mouth of the cave. There was a crunch of gravel and a short cry. "Who's there?" Kain called.

"Oh, thank goodness!" a voice cried. "I've found you!"

Ceodore gasped. "Mother!" He stood and hurried to the edge of the mountain, holding out a hand to Rosa. A few moments later she clambered over, looking a little worse for wear and tired out, but very pleased. "What are you doing here?" Ceodore asked, giving her a tight hug. Kain smiled and lowered his bow, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I couldn't just sit at home and twiddle my thumbs!" Rosa replied, patting Ceodore on the head. "I just had to come and find you, and make sure you and Kain were okay."

"How's Father?"

"He's fine. He seems to have cheered up a little." Rosa looked over to the ashy remains of the fire and the two bowls. "Oh! Did I disturb anything?"

"We were just having breakfast," Kain said, in the process of putting his bow away. "Are you hungry?"

"A little," Rosa admitted, "but I couldn't-"

"Be quiet," laughed Ceodore. He took his mother's arm and led her over to where they had sat. "You need to eat all you can for your baby!"

"Well, I suppose…yes." Ceodore sat her down and Kain passed her a bowl. "So, how are you two holding up? I've been so worried!"

"We're doing okay," Ceodore grinned. "Kain's showed me a lot about mountain life, and it's pretty comfy up here!"

"Are you sleeping well?"

"Yeah." Ceodore smiled at Kain. "I've got Kain to keep me safe."

"I'm glad." Rosa paused to have a few mouthfuls of stew, wiping her mouth afterwards. "It really isn't the same without you two at home. I said Cecil has cheered up, but he's still pretty annoying. I didn't have to sneak out to come here though; he let me come of my own free will."

"Does that mean he's any closer to accepting us?" Kain asked.

"I can't say for sure…but what will you do if he doesn't?"

Kain sighed. "We've talked about it. Ceodore cannot stay away forever, as he has a duty to his kingdom, but if Cecil continues to be hostile towards us…I couldn't stay, knowing Cecil will not allow me to be with Ceodore, so we decided I will leave if the problem escalates." Kain looked over at Ceodore, whose eyes were watery and fixed firmly on the floor. "It's not a pleasant thought, but what else could we do? It would be best for me to leave Baron altogether."

"I won't allow that to happen," Rosa said firmly. "I can see how happy you make Ceodore, and it would be inhuman to force you apart. Rest assured, I will beat some sense into Cecil if it comes to it."

Kain nodded. Ceodore murmured, "Thanks, Mother…"

"That's okay, son."

"When do you think we are able to come home?" Kain asked, pushing his now empty bowl aside.

"I'm not sure, but Ceodore's birthday is in less than two weeks now and I'll not have you two stuck up here for that. You'll be home by then, hopefully much sooner." Rosa smiled at the couple. "I'm glad you've coped so well up here, though don't you think running away was a _little _unnecessary?"

"I didn't want to stay where Father would come down on me like a ton of bricks!"

"And I can't imagine he was too happy with me hitting him."

"Actually, he hasn't said anything about it, though you left him with a big lump on his cheek!"

"Whoops."

"He deserved it," Rosa replied, waving a hand. "I may sound harsh, but he did deserve it. And about the running away…I suppose I do see where you're coming from, but you caused a great deal of trouble for your father, Ceodore, coming up with a cover story! Word's out that you're both ill, so when you come home, act as if you were!"

"Oh, man." Ceodore rubbed a hand over his face. "So he's pretending me and Kain are- oh, what an idiot. That means we can't even go into town for supplies now."

"Not to worry," his mother said brightly, "I brought some things up with me to keep you going awhile." She slid her pack off her shoulder and opened the top of it. "Now, I know you've got enough blankets because when I checked both your rooms, they were bare…so I thought I'd bring up a lamp, with some oil as well…you can hunt well up here?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good, otherwise I would have gone back home and wrapped up some meat, but I realised you'd have nothing to go with whatever you're eating here, so I brought a good supply of vegetables and seasoning as well- oh, there's two loaves of bread here and some cheese- the head chef was very generous, though I didn't tell him what I needed them for!" She laughed lightly. "What else did I bring…oh yes, some Potion and Ether, just in case you're hurt…and I swiped one of Cecil's wine bottles, though Ceodore's only allowed a little!"

"Awww, Mother! I'm almost-"

"Yes, _almost. _So, Kain, he's only to have a little, okay?"

"No problem."

"I think that's it…" She closed the pack and shoved it against the wall.

"Thanks a lot," Ceodore grinned. "What would we do without you, eh?"

"Well, you were doing brilliantly, just the two of you, but I couldn't leave my baby without something from his mother!"

"You really are too kind, Rosa," Kain said gratefully. "What you've brought will make our stay much more enjoyable."

"Oh, it's my pleasure!" Rosa giggled. "You know I just love to help!" She fiddled in an inside pocket of her cloak and withdrew a small package, which she proceeded to unwrap. "Just excuse me while I feed the addiction…"

Ceodore fell about laughing. "You brought potato sticks up here with you?" Rosa just smirked and crunched one with a shrug.


	11. Chapter 11

Every few days, Rosa would come back up the mountains to check on Ceodore and Kain, ensure they had everything they needed, and bring up more supplies if they needed it. It was now five days to Ceodore's birthday, and Cecil was still mute as to the situation or whether he wanted the couple home (though he had noticed he was one bottle of wine down and there were some raised eyebrows, but when Rosa told him she had given it to Kain he relaxed; it seemed he was more worried she had drank it, since she shouldn't have been drinking while pregnant). Ceodore was becoming more and more agitated with each passing day, afraid he would never be let home. Kain had to hold him back several times to prevent him running back to the castle, though it pained him to do so. They both knew they had to wait till Cecil gave the all-clear, but it didn't seem to be stopping Ceodore from trying to return.

However, this particular night, he had calmed down, and he and Kain sat on the edge of the slope in comfortable silence. Ceodore had been learning more about the stars and spent the time locating them and naming the ones he knew while Kain sat to his right with a frown creasing his brow as he whittled down a set of bamboo stalks. He had been working on it all day, though Ceodore had no idea what he planned to do with them, and hadn't asked, for Kain disliked being interrupted. After growing bored with the midnight sky, Ceodore pulled his legs up to his chest and turned a little, watching Kain work away. The younger boy then realised that every hollow stalk was of a different length, and Kain kept measuring them to ensure the length increased by the same amount every time. He couldn't help asking, "Are you making panpipes, Kain?"

"Something of the sort," he said in a muffled voice as three of the stalks were halfway out of his mouth. "I'm almost done…"

"Looking good." Ceodore then frowned, suddenly feeling as though he were being watched. He whipped round and scanned his surroundings, but the only thing that moved was a leaf blowing around with the breeze. "Huh…must be imagining things."

"Are you okay?" Kain asked.

"Yeah…I thought there was someone nearby, but Mother wouldn't come up here this late, would she?"

"No, she needs her rest. Think nothing of it; you're just a little paranoid." Kain's voice betrayed his slight irritability at being distracted from his work, and Ceodore wisely held his tongue, going back to watching him work; he had finished whittling the stalks and set about blocking off one end of them all with little pieces of bark held in place by sticky sap he had collected earlier. Finally he fixed all the pipes together with more sap and wound reeds round them to make them more secure. "I honestly have no idea why I started making this thing," Kain admitted, holding out the finished panpipes to Ceodore, who turned them over carefully in his hands.

"Are you musical, Kain?"

"I appreciate music, but I'm useless when it comes to everything musical. Your father had a lovely singing voice when he was younger; he was quite proud of it."

"I never knew that," Ceodore said in an awed voice. "Do you think he can still sing now?"

Kain shrugged. "The only musical king I know of is Edward. You'll have to ask Cecil when we go home- well, maybe when _you _go home."

"I don't want you to have to leave though," Ceodore moaned. "If I go back home, I want you to come with me."

"Ceodore, my love…" Kain gathered Ceodore in his arms and stroked his back comfortingly. "Some things are best not spoken about, but when you and I live the lives we do, other things must be taken into consideration. You are a prince, and though I am older than you, I am naught but a lowly Dragoon. You have an entire kingdom to inherit, whereas all I have is my command over the Red Wings…not only that, you are expected to carry on the family bloodline. How can you do that, when you say your heart belongs to me? You must listen to your father, even if he decides he wants you and I to have nothing more to do with each other."

"B-But…" Ceodore sniffled. "Kain…I don't want you to leave me. And Father can't make me do anything…I refuse to be bound in a loveless marriage and have the children I never wanted. What sort of family would I produce? Not even Father would fathom it. I love him, I love my father so much, but at the same time I'm scared of him…w-what will I d-do w-without you?" He broke down sobbing in Kain's arms, clutching the older man's tunic tightly between shaking hands. Kain held him silently, though his own emotions betrayed him and a single glistening tear slid down his cheek, falling into Ceodore's hair; the sudden wetness made Ceodore look up, and he gasped. He had never, ever seen Kain cry. "K-Kain…"

Kain smiled, though the tears continued to fall. "It's okay," he whispered, sounding choked up. He bowed his head and sighed, leaving Ceodore to wipe his eyes on his scarf. He still felt he was being watched, and this time, when he looked round, he saw a flash of gleaming white vanish behind a rock. He jumped up and scrabbled for his sword; Kain looked confused and got to his feet also, reaching warily for his bow. "Come out!" Ceodore cried. "Don't try anything; we're armed."

There was a sigh. "Well…you caught me. Well done, son."

Ceodore dropped his sword and ran to Kain's side, eyes wide and fearful. "Father-!"

Cecil emerged from behind the rock and ran a hand through his hair. "I had hoped you would not notice me…"

"What are you doing here?" Kain growled. He lowered his bow and wound an arm round Ceodore's waist protectively. Cecil held his hands up, as if in surrender, his face expressionless. "We must talk," he said.

"What is there to say?" Kain snorted. "I refuse to stand here and be insulted once more."

"Sit then, if it pleases you, but I came not to insult you."

Ceodore raised his head, curious. "Then…why did you come?" Cecil began to speak, but then he raised a hand to his forehead and he swayed dangerously; Ceodore darted forward and grabbed his father before he toppled over. "What's the matter?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing," Cecil murmured. "I have been watching you all day…I'm just a little dizzy and tired…"

"Sit down, Father." Ceodore helped Cecil over to the dying fire and sat him down before it, sitting down also a little way away from him. Kain however, remained standing close to Ceodore, never letting go of his bow, though it hung limp in his hand. "Why have you been watching us all day?" he demanded. "Thought you'd see if you'd brought misery upon us?"

"Peace, Kain." Cecil held up a hand to silence him; it was only out of respect for his sovereign that Kain held his tongue. "I thought it about time to pay you a visit myself, since Rosa has spent most of the day in bed today; she has overexerted herself as of late. I knew not when to reveal myself to you, as when I came up, you were still sleeping, so I decided to watch how you went about your day and check that you were coping."

"We've been fine," Kain said in a clipped tone, "no thanks to you."

"Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?" Kain rolled his eyes but said nothing more. "As I was saying," Cecil carried on, "I watched how you two were during the day, and I was satisfied that you got along okay, but I couldn't help noticing your conversations…all you seemed to do was talk about me. And just now, when Ceodore was crying…I was all set to come out from my hiding place and…" he dipped his head, "and say I was sorry." The last part came out as a whisper, and Kain did not catch what he said, but Ceodore did, and his face split into a wide grin. "Oh, Father!" he breathed, clasping his hands. "Do you mean that?"

"I do," Cecil nodded. "Watching you today, I saw how deeply in love you two really are. I could not live with myself if I took that away from you now. I have never seen you happier, Ceodore. To see you so happy made me happy…in fact, I shed a few tears today. I…I do not expect you to forgive me, either of you, but…" His voice cracked as he said, "Won't you come home?"

"Father…" Ceodore approached Cecil and knelt in front of him, taking his freezing cold hands in his own. "When you opposed my relationship, it hurt. It hurt so much…I just wanted you to be as happy as I was. I couldn't stay where our love wasn't welcome."

"I was jealous," Cecil whispered. "I admit it, I was jealous…and I am disgusted with myself for it. I thought myself over Kain…and then I saw you with him, and…" Cecil shook his head, his breathing shallow. "W-What…what have I done?" He buried his face in his hands and groaned. Ceodore looked up at Kain; his face had gone white when Cecil admitted he was still in love with him. He took a step back, looking horrified. "Kain?" Ceodore reached out a hand to Kain. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Kain muttered. "Everything's wrong…" He turned on his heel and hurried away as fast as he could; Ceodore began to get up but Cecil laid a hand on his arm. "No, leave him be."

"But-!"

"He needs to think about what I just said." Cecil's eyes were full of hurt, and they shimmered as if full of tears too. "It may have shocked him, but he had a right to know, and so did you. Everything must be said before you come home." He held a hand to his head. "Still dizzy," he sighed.

"Have you eaten at all?"

"Not a thing." Ceodore rolled his eyes and got up to rummage in the tent, where he and Kain had been eating bread and cold meat a few hours before. He returned with the rest of it and sat down again, placing it between himself and Cecil. "Here. We already had our fill." Cecil smiled gratefully, and Ceodore turned away to see if Kain was still nearby. He could see him on the other side of the waterfall, sat on a rock with his legs tucked up to his chest, shivering, but Ceodore would not be able to reach him as he could not jump as Kain could. "Leave him be," Cecil said again, with a little sigh.

"I know, but…I worry when he goes off all silent like this."

"Does he do it often?"

"Every now and then. I always worry when he does…do you think he'll come back soon?"

"He always does." Cecil picked at the piece of bread he had torn off the loaf. "Rosa has been desperate for me to come and visit you, you know."

"Really?"

"Yes. She wanted you back for your birthday and was not sure if I would relent, but eventually I did. I really have missed you and Kain. It wasn't the same without you…oh by the way, did your mother tell you my excuse for your absence?"

"She said something about me and Kain being ill."

"That's not the case anymore. You and Kain have gone on a little holiday because you think there could be a romantic connection. At least, that's what people who have asked have been told, because Cid cannot keep his mouth shut."

"Then why did you tell him that?"

"Because," Cecil smiled, "I can count on him to spread the word. By the time you get back, you will have to hide nothing."

"That's great! Thanks, Father."

"It's okay…" Cecil yawned widely. "I should be getting back soon…"

"Don't be ridiculous; you're not walking back to Baron at this time!"

"I couldn't impose-"

"You're staying with us tonight, and we'll all go back in the morning, okay?"

Cecil sighed. "Okay. I can't fight you, can I?"

"No. If you're tired, go get comfortable in the tent. There's plenty of room. I'll see if I can bring Kain back."

Cecil nodded and got stiffly to his feet, stretching. He made his way over to the cave while Ceodore approached the waterfall and called Kain. He looked up and frowned, but did not move. "Come back over," Ceodore pleaded. "Please, Kain!" Kain grimaced, but he unfolded his legs and stood up before leaping into the air and landing on the other side, beside Ceodore. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Dad's staying with us tonight; I'm not letting him go back at this time. Do you mind?"

"I can't say anything, can I?" Kain shrugged. "I'm sorry, Ceodore. I'm just a little freaked out that Cecil still loves me. If things are uncomfortable with me and him for a while, you know why."

"No problem." Ceodore took Kain's hand and squeezed gently. "Come to bed. We can go back home tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Of course. Come on…" Kain nodded and allowed Ceodore to take him back to the tent. Cecil had already found himself a spot and had curled up under a blanket; his eyes half-opened at the sound of Ceodore and Kain approaching and he smiled at them, then closed his eyes again. It had grown cold, so Ceodore and Kain lay down fully dressed and huddled closer for more warmth. Deep breathing on Ceodore's left told him that his father was already sound asleep. Ceodore leaned in and kissed Kain's lips, allowing the older man to slide an arm under his shoulders and hold him close. "Goodnight, Kain."

His eyes already closed, Kain smiled. "I love you, Ceodore. Goodnight."

* * *

><p><em>I wonder when Cecil will come home...<em>

Rosa hated being bed-bound. Her morning sickness had escalated to the point where she felt dizzy constantly and could not stand for fear of passing out, so a worried Cecil insisted she remain in bed till she felt better. A good night's sleep and a decent breakfast in the morning left Rosa feeling well enough to leave her tower and head off to her private chamber for a bathe.

She was glad Cecil had stayed the night with Ceodore and Kain; of course, where else would he be if he had not come home for the night? He was strong enough to fend for himself outside of Baron. If he had stayed up in the mountains, hopefully it meant he, Ceodore and Kain had put their differences aside. _Well, _Rosa thought as she washed her lustrous golden hair, _I hope there will be no more nasty arguments like last time... _

She shuddered at the memory. Her heart had gone out to Ceodore that day, when Cecil had refused to accept their son's happiness with Kain. She hoped her husband had made the right decision; he had seemed happy enough to make the journey up into the Mist Mountains, anyway, parting from Rosa with a tender kiss and a few loving words, nothing betraying possible bitterness or anger. _Boys, _Rosa smirked, finishing her bathe and climbing out to dry and redress. She had nothing to do for the day and felt bored, so she returned to her tower and retrieved her bow and quiver of cockatrice-fletched arrows, intent on a spot of archery. There was a place in the castle where she could practise, but she wanted to be positioned where she would be able to see Cecil returning to Baron, so she left the castle altogether and slipped into the outskirts of the town, lightly scratching a target into the bark of a dead tree. She had not practised her archery since falling pregnant, but the Queen was feeling confident as she nocked an arrow and sighted down the shaft, her tongue between her teeth in deep concentration. Everything around her faded out of vision, leaving only the gnarled tree with its twisted branches; the target stood out against the grey bark. Rosa released the arrow, and swore under her breath as it missed by a hair's breadth, burying itself just outside the target. With a heavy sigh, Rosa stumped over and retrieved her arrow, then resumed her previous position, moving ever so slightly over to the left so the wind would not hamper the arrow's path so much.

This time the arrow found its mark; the Queen laughed merrily, thankful she was not totally out of practise. This was the way it went for half an hour till her stock of arrows were completed, and she headed back into town to purchase some more, bumping into her mother Joanna as she came out. "Mother!" Rosa cried, rushing to embrace her. "How have you been?"

"I'm fine, dear," Joanna smiled. "How's your baby?"

"Which one?" the Queen giggled. "Ceodore is still my baby too!"

Joanna poked her daughter's stomach. "This one. I heard you fell ill recently."

"Just morning sickness, nothing to worry about. I was just practising my archery; I'm waiting for Cecil to come home."

"Ah...yes, I saw him leaving early yesterday." Joanna brushed down her blue dress and readjusted the bag of potions she had bought a few minutes earlier. "Why don't you come back for a cup of tea, dear?"

"That would be lovely, Mother." They made their way back to the old house Rosa had grown up in and Joanna continued to live in. The old mage was now sixty years old, but the townspeople oft said it was the powerful white magic running through her veins that kept her strong and attractive for her age. They reached the house and Joanna put the kettle on while Rosa carefully deposited her bow and quiver of new arrows in a corner. "White mage and Dragoon," Joanna murmured, causing Rosa to look up in surprise. "Sound familiar?"

"Yes. You and Father, of course."

"Ceodore and Captain Highwind too!" Joanna exclaimed, sitting down and folding her hands in her lap. "I could hardly believe my ears when dear old Cid dropped by and told me! So, is it true? Have they really fallen in love with one another?"

Rosa nodded her head. "Yes, it's true. You remember how Kain just up and left last year?"

"Yes, I remember. We were all very sad. Is...is this why?"

"He couldn't for the life of him understand why he had fallen for Ceodore, so he left. But now they couldn't be happier. I'm so glad for them." Rosa turned her head as she heard the kettle start to whistle, and Joanna got up to pour the tea. "They're due to come back soon, too. The whole 'holiday thing' is just a rumour Cecil started to cover up the fact they-"

"I saw them," Joanna interrupted, pushing a hot cup into her daughter's hand. "I saw them running off towards the mountains over a week back now."

"You saw?"

"Yes."

"And...you didn't tell me?"

"I thought nothing of it at the time," her mother shrugged. "But now I know!" She took a small sip of tea. "I take it Cecil's gone to drag Ceodore back home?"

"No, he only went to visit. If all goes well, all three of them should return later today."

"Hmmm." Joanna put her cup down and started counting on her fingers. "Remind me of Captain Highwind's age, dear."

Rosa giggled. "He's thirty-nine, Mother."

Joanna looked shocked. "That's a very large age gap! What does Ceodore think he's doing?"

"In his eyes, the right thing...I went to visit them every now and then and they're so happy with each other, they get along and can work together when they need to. I think, despite their difference in age, Kain will be good for Ceodore, because he can look after him. It's true that Ceodore won't carry on the family name now, but that's where our little unborn comes in!" Rosa touched her stomach. "In Ceodore's words, I saved his ass."

"Boys..." muttered Joanna, sipping her drink. "Well, if they're happy I'm happy. That's all there is to it, and nothing else really left to say."

"I'm glad you understand, Mother."

"I always will," she smiled. They finished off their drinks, then Rosa reluctantly stood, apologising profusely about having to return to the castle. Joanna waved her away with a laugh, helping her with her bow and quiver. "Look after yourself, Rosa," she said. "It's been lovely to see you again."  
>"I'll come visit again soon," she promised as she left. She turned to head to the castle, but before she could take so much as a step she heard a voice call out, "Rosa!"<p>

Looking round sharply, she inhaled sharply, a hand jumping to her chest and a warm smile making its way onto her face. A rather tired looking Cecil was making his way towards her, with Kain and Ceodore hand in hand, close behind. "Oh, thank _goodness!" _Rosa cried, rushing forward and embracing her husband. "You brought them back!"

"There was no need to worry," laughed Cecil, hugging Rosa back just as tightly. Rosa snuggled into him and sighed happily when he stroked her hair back and pressed a kiss to her brow. Ceodore and Kain reached them and Ceodore squeezed his mother's shoulder with a smile. "Feeling better now?" he asked. "Father said you were ill."

"I'm fine now. I'm just so glad you're all back!" She released Cecil and moved to hug Ceodore, then Kain. "Shall we go home now?"

Cecil nodded. "Yes. There are a few things we must talk about, now we are all here." He gestured, and they all traipsed back to the castle, with Kain and Ceodore holding hands again, drawing a few curious glances, but they paid them no mind; they just looked at each other and laughed. Cecil exchanged a few words with the Chancellor in the throne room, who nodded briskly, then left everyone to talk. Cecil and Rosa seated themselves on their respective thrones and Ceodore sat down on the raised platform while Kain flopped down into a chair set to the side. "Right," Cecil murmured, resting an ankle on the opposite knee, "now we are all back home...I didn't want to speak of these things while up in the mountains, Ceodore, as we had only just established a common footing again, but these subjects should be addressed, particularly now your mother is well again and present."

"Go on," Ceodore nodded. Kain looked vaguely uninterested and gazed around the room.

Cecil assumed a stern expression. "Your seventeenth birthday may only be days away, but you understand there must be no sexual interaction _whatsoever _between you and Kain, till then or afterwards. Understand?"

"Mother already went over that with me," Ceodore replied. "Honestly, Father. I'm not a boy."

"You are a boy for another four days, and you would do well to remember that."

Rosa sighed. "Cecil, please try not to lose your temper again..."

"I am not losing my temper, but my point must be put across." He took a few deep breaths, then looked over to Kain, who was still looking blankly at the opposite wall. "Kain, are you even listening?"

"I'm listening," he murmured. "Carry on."

"Look at me then." Cecil rolled his eyes at Kain's behaviour; he assumed it was probably due to his revelation last night. Kain looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "Thank you...and my other point to address is sleeping arrangements. I would prefer it if you would keep to your own rooms now." Ceodore began to protest, but Cecil held up a hand to silence him. "I know that in the time you spent in the mountains, you slept together (in a literal sense, of course), and it was practical in terms of extra warmth, so I will turn a blind eye to that, but now you are back home, things are different."

"Father!" Ceodore groaned. "I'm seventeen in _four days! _There's not much you can do after that."

"Be that as it may," growled Cecil, "I am still your guardian, as is Rosa, and you live in the castle with us, so we still have a certain amount of authority over you even after you become a man. Also, you are of royal blood and are expected to uphold family honour. I won't have you tarnish that by running amok like a child for the next few years, even if I _have _relented and allowed you to remain with Kain."

Ceodore's face had gone red with anger. "Actually," he said quietly, "I'm not of royal blood, and neither are you. You only became King because you were adopted by the previous one, so don't lecture _me _about royal blood!"

"Ceodore-" Cecil began in a threatening tone, but Rosa got up from her throne and laid a hand on his arm, shaking her head. He sighed and wrapped an arm round his wife's waist. "I understand how you feel, Ceodore," he said in a calmer voice. "Had we not been expecting another child, there would have been no chance of you staying with Kain. You don't realise how kind I have been by allowing your relationship to carry on, risking a backlash from the entire kingdom. Fortunately for us, most people have responded positively. All I am asking is that you keep to your room at night, for the next four days, so you do not become overly attached to Kain and risk your chances of love. Use your chances well."

Ceodore grimaced. "Just for four days?"

"Yes. After that, you are officially a man, and you are free to share a bed and...well, you know. I won't speak of such matters with my son. Do you find this any more agreeable now I have explained myself?"

"...It'll do."

"And Kain?"

Kain nodded. "It's a mature decision, and I understand perfectly. Thank you for being so kind, Cecil."

The King sighed heavily. "It has cost me a lot to be so." Kain clenched his jaw, knowing what he was getting at, and Rosa pointedly looked away with another shake of her head. Ceodore was a little slow to catch on, but when he did, his face reddened again. "Father..."

"I will behave," murmured Cecil. "You have my word."

"Shake on it?"

Cecil chuckled and extended his hand down to Ceodore, who grasped it. "It's good to have you home, son."


	12. Chapter 12

_Ugh...it's like he's still not happy with this! _Ceodore thought to himself as he sat down heavily on his bed. It was late evening now and he had spent some of the day with Kain, wandering round town with him (nobody said anything to them, but they received a lot of smiles and nods, which pleased Ceodore very much, knowing their love was accepted), and some of the day sparring with Cecil, but lost dismally as Cecil threw himself into the sparring with an almost ferocious attitude and repeatedly knocked his son back. Kain had gone off to speak to the Red Wings and apologise for his lengthy absence; he had overseen the sparring session and also wasn't happy with Cecil's behaviour. _Still, it's better than Kain being exiled or forbidden to go near me. At least we were allowed home. _A little smile made its way onto his face. _He should be due to visit me soon. Wonder if he's finished with the Red Wings yet..._

As if on cue, there was a little tap on the door. "Ceodore?" Kain hissed. "Are you in there?"

"It's not locked!" Ceodore hissed back. Kain opened the door, looked round and smiled at his love. Ceodore smiled back. "How are the boys?" he asked.

"Oh, they're fine," Kain replied briskly, shutting the door behind him and moving to sit beside Ceodore on the bed. "Said they missed us a lot and wish us good luck in the future."

"Oh. That was nice of them, wasn't it?"

"Yeah...shame Cecil is still being an ass-"

"Shhh! He might hear you!"

"He's nowhere near here; I just saw him and Rosa heading off to their tower, looking a bit flustered. I imagine his mind will be elsewhere for the next half hour."

Ceodore groaned, grimacing. "Nice to know. Now you've put some really gross images in my head."

Kain shrugged. "At least they're happy. Just like us..." He slid an arm round Ceodore's shoulders. "I wish I could stay for the night, I really do, but I think Cecil is right. It wouldn't do for us to get too attached to each other, would it?"

"I suppose..." the younger boy sighed. "I'm not saying I like his decisions though."

"Neither do I, but he's only got our best interests at heart. He may be acting like an utter ass right now, but he loves you and wants you to be happy." Ceodore snorted; Kain rolled his eyes at this. "No, really. Of course he loves you. Now I won't stay for long, I'm a little weary, but just relax, okay? In a few days we'll be able to share a bed, and do whatever we want with each other. I know you've been getting impatient."

"Yeah." Ceodore sniggered. "I guess so, yeah. Sorry."

"No, don't apologise. I feel the same way. Well, we'll take it slow, and see what comes naturally, yeah?" Kain chuckled as Ceodore's face flushed with excitement. "What's the matter?"

"N-Nothing, I just..." Ceodore stammered, running a hand over his face. "I just...I can't wait to feel it."

"Feel what?"

"E-Everything!" he laughed. "I'm young, but I'm pretty eager!"

"Mmm..." Kain ran a hand over Ceodore's chest, making him shudder. "Yeah...me too..." He leaned over and kissed the younger boy passionately, running his tongue over Ceodore's lips and making him part them eagerly; as they indulged in each other Kain shoved Ceodore onto his back and crawled on top of him. Ceodore moaned against Kain's hot mouth, grinding himself against the older dragoon, aware of his obvious arousal pressing against his own. This was about as far as they would ever take things, but Ceodore longed for them to be able to do more. Kain seemed to feel the same way, and he pulled away from Ceodore before he lost control and started pulling his clothes off. "Sorry," he grinned. "Maybe I should head back to my room before everything hits the fan!"

"Might be better," giggled Ceodore, sitting up and crossing his legs to conceal the growing bulge. "I'll, um, see you tomorrow then?"

"Of course," Kain smiled. "I'll leave you alone now." He kissed Ceodore gently. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kain..." He smiled sadly as Kain stood from the bed and left his room with a cheeky wink. He knew he should be grateful to his father, but at the same time, he couldn't help thinking his kindness earlier was only because his mother was there too.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for being nice to Ceodore earlier," Rosa murmured, laying a hand on her husband's chest. Cecil closed his eyes at her touch, but said nothing. Rosa carried on, "And to Kain too, of course; though I can't help thinking you were <em>overly <em>nice just to placate me."

"What else could I do?" Cecil sighed. "Yes, I have accepted them, but at the same time I feel Ceodore may take advantage of being seventeen soon and misbehave, causing us no end of embarrassment. I trust Kain, however. He has always been mature." Rosa giggled at this. "Do you think I was reasonable with them?"

"I do," his wife assured him. "I worry that you may have lost your temper again though, if I had not been there."

Cecil shook his head and readjusted the blanket covering them both, shifting it down so he could cool off a little. "No…I would not lose my temper again. If I do, I may lose my son altogether. I just…well, you know the situation with Kain and I."

Rosa nodded. "You still love him, which is why you got angry last time."

"Yes, and when I told this to Ceodore and Kain, Kain ran away, horrified. I fear our friendship may forever be marred by my childhood desires." He sighed. "You must really hate me sometimes."

"Of course I don't hate you," Rosa replied softly. "I trust you, and you gave your word to Ceodore. You know I love you, and I always will."

"Thank you, Rosa…I am lucky to have you." Cecil leaned in and kissed her gently. "I love you too."

"I know you do," she smiled. "Don't you worry yourself about Ceodore or Kain. They're happy you agreed to let them stay together…though I understand it would have been out of the question had we not been expecting another child." Cecil nodded, stroking Rosa's stomach. "We had best start making preparations!"

"You are not due to give birth for many months yet!"

"I'd feel better knowing it was all out of the way, and then we have time to spend together as a family."

"Family?"

"Yes, all of us; that includes Kain too. He's always been like family anyway, but now he is with Ceodore, we can count him in even more."

"Hm." Cecil made a face. "Yes…I suppose so."

"Don't make that face at me."

"Sorry."


	13. Chapter 13

"Bloody hell!" Ceodore cursed, almost falling on his backside as he narrowly avoided a swift stab from Kain. It was early morning and they were sparring in the courtyard. Kain always seemed to be more skilled than the young prince, though Ceodore knew he could probably best his love if he tried hard enough; the truth was he was just afraid he might hurt Kain. The dragoon seemed to notice this and lowered his sword, sighing. "Come on, don't hold back," he said. "I know you are."

"Sorry. But what if I-?"

"You won't hurt me," Kain assured Ceodore. "Besides, we can heal ourselves if anything does happen." He smiled and raised his weapon again. "Come on, back to it."

"O-Okay." Ceodore aimed a blow to Kain's right, his weaker side, but the dragoon easily parried it with a flourish of his blade and a nimble sidestep. "Not bad," he commented, parrying another, harder, blow, "but you still need to try harder."

"I'm trying!"

"I know you are," Kain chuckled, then sucked in his breath sharply as Ceodore's sword skated off his chest armour. He smirked, then slashed at the prince, causing him to jump back in alarm. "Try to parry rather than run away! If you keep stepping back you may lose your footing."

"I know," grumbled Ceodore. "You're so much better than me though."

"Only because I have been trained longer," Kain reminded him, sheathing his sword. "I can see you would rather wait till another time, yes?"

"I suppose." Ceodore sheathed his own weapon and walked over to Kain with a smile. The older man gently pulled Ceodore into his arms and stroked a few spiky locks back from his face. A few soldiers hurrying past gave them odd looks, but not everybody was completely used to their relationship just yet; the couple paid them no mind anyway and leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss. It was now only a day till Ceodore's birthday and the boy was certainly becoming eager about coming of age, as well as being able to take his relationship with Kain to the next level. Kain would come into his room every evening and they would sit and talk till their desires spilled over and they would lose themselves in a passionate blur of kissing, touching and soft moans. They desperately wanted to be able to do more, and Ceodore had almost lost control the previous night; Kain had to fight himself so he could remove Ceodore's wandering hands from where they had slipped beneath his leggings. However, what he had felt, at least only for a few seconds, felt unbelievably good, and the dragoon looked forward to the day he would be able to claim the boy as his own (which would hopefully be tomorrow).

After their kiss, Ceodore went off to his room to stow away his weapon and have a bathe, and Kain headed to the throne room, remembering that Cecil had wanted to see him after sparring. He found the paladin King deep in conversation with the Chancellor, just outside the throne room; when Cecil saw Kain he smiled briefly and gestured for him to wait in the room for him. He talked only a few more minutes, then strode in, noting Kain had not moved from the centre of the room. "Sit down," the King chuckled, waving his hand towards one of the chairs near the wall, and Kain did so. "I apologise for the lengthy conversation; important business, you know." He sat down on the throne and leaned forwards a little, resting his head on a hand. "Is Ceodore around, do you know?"

"He went to bathe," Kain replied tersely. He was still a little wary of Cecil.

"Ah…good, good. It would not do for him to hear of this."

"Hear of…what?" Kain raised an eyebrow, but Cecil only laughed.

"Plans for his birthday, of course! Did you think I had forgotten my own son's coming of age?"

Kain chuckled. "No, not really. Rosa had a word with me last night about it, though she didn't say what was happening."

"Oh, nothing much," Cecil said, glad Kain had lightened up a little. "Ceodore would not want anything massive…we just planned to have a celebration down at the pub, where he can have a proper drink and enjoy being a man, you know? Our old friends are coming along too; it will be nice to see them again." When Kain nodded Cecil smiled warmly. "It seems you agree. That's good, but please do not tell Ceodore of this. It would be best not to overexcite him."

"Okay, Cecil."

"Oh, and…" Cecil leaned back in his throne and put his fingers together, "I believe it would be a pleasant gift to Ceodore if we gave him his place back among the Red Wings. He may have acted rashly by running away from the castle, but he proved, up in the mountains, that he is capable of looking after himself, and above all else, he has matured somewhat. What do you think?"

Kain could only gape. "I…thank you, Cecil…it would be brilliant if he could return!"

The King nodded. "I thought you would like that, but please try not to have your hands all over each other when out on a mission; remember your objective and that you are all soldiers. It would not do to show such displays of affection all the time. Tell him he is welcome back tomorrow, will you? Our gift to him from you and I, as reconciled friends."

"Thank you," Kain said again, inclining his head.

"Don't thank me. It was time to let him back; his punishment had gone on long enough."

"You seem…more at ease with us, Cecil."

"Just a little," Cecil admitted. "It is still strange, but…perhaps it was fate that you rescued Ceodore that day last year. He would not have survived if not for you. Please, do your best to keep him happy. I realise I did not give you my blessing, so I do now. You must understand, Kain; he is my only son, and I love him dearly. I don't want to see him hurt, and if it were at the hands of my best friend, I could not guarantee the extent of my rage…" Cecil rose and approached Kain, kneeling in front of him and clasping his hands tightly. "I'm glad you finally found love, Kain." He leaned in, meaning to kiss Kain upon the brow in the traditional act of gratitude, but upon seeing Kain freeze he drew back quickly. "I'm sorry," he blustered. "I was only-"

"I understand," Kain said softly. "I must still have time to come to terms with your feelings…though I am also thankful that I have found love. Also, if you and I had ended up together when we were younger, my love would never have been born. I can thank you for that, Cecil…" Cecil smiled at Kain, who now did what Cecil had meant to do, and brushed his lips over the paladin's brow. The last time Kain had done that- after coming to from his fever- Cecil had giggled and blushed like a schoolgirl, but this time his face remained its usual white, set in an amused smile. Then he nodded. "Yes, I suppose you're right." He returned to his throne, and when he next spoke, his voice carried his kingly authority that he only ever used with Kain when he wanted something done. "Cid's airship carrying our old friends will arrive sometime before dinner. I want you to go and meet them off, if this is agreeable."

"Of course, my Liege," Kain said, keeping with the more formal tone now set.

"Good. Ceodore may join you to greet them, if you wish. They may join us for our meal, and Rosa has made sure everybody has a room for the night, in preparation for celebrations tomorrow."

"Where is her Majesty? Is she ill again?"

"Oh, no! She is with the new white mage recruits; she will be busy for most of the day. I have not seen her at all either, though she will be free in the evening." Cecil chuckled softly, dropping the formal tone. "Her pregnancy is starting to show…"

"I noticed yesterday. She looks radiant, doesn't she? You're a lucky man, Cecil."

"That I am. Now, off you go. I'm sure there are other things you'd rather be doing."

Kain stood, shrugging. "I'm not doing anything, to be honest with you."

"Still, I'm sure Ceodore will want to see you after his bathe, and I've nothing else to say." Cecil smiled at his old friend and flicked his eyes towards the door; Kain inclined his head towards the King and left the throne room. He knew Ceodore would not be finished bathing just yet, as he often took at least half an hour, but he had nothing else to do, so he went to drop off his sword in his room, then headed across the corridor to Ceodore's, which was always unlocked now, in case Kain wanted to come in. Ceodore's private bathing chamber was through another door in Ceodore's room, and as Kain entered the spacious bedroom he could faintly hear Ceodore humming as he washed himself. Kain had once tried to peek in when Ceodore was bathing and promptly received a wet sponge to the face, so Ceodore now always kept _that _door locked; he was too embarrassed about his body to let Kain see him naked. Today was no exception, as Kain could see the key in the lock, on the other side of the door, so he chose to sit down on the end of the bed, gazing around the room. For a prince's, it was actually rather bare as Ceodore spent hardly any time in it, but the top of his drawers and cupboards were lavish with odd little trinkets, odds and ends that he had found, such as shells, stones, and little sculptures he had made out of god knows what. A few photos in delicate silver frames were scattered here and there; among them, ten year old Ceodore practising white magic with his mother; a slightly older Ceodore with Ursula, pulling faces at the camera. Kain picked up a nearby one that was quite recent. In fact, it had been taken on the True Moon the previous year and copies had been given to everyone when their battles were over (Kain regretted that he had lost his own when he ran away). Kain sighed softly; everybody that had fought was in it, and his heart squeezed as he looked at the smirking form of the late Lunarian, Golbez, dark and mysterious in his black garb, stood beside his brother Cecil. Kain remembered Cecil had spent some time in an odd, comatose-like state after being knocked out of the Maenad's possession, left unable to communicate with anyone. In the picture, Cecil looked curious, if not a little blank, his eyes glassy, but he was standing up on his own, at least. Kain had been reluctant to have his picture taken, but Ceodore had been insistent and eventually tugged him into the lens' view. Ceodore had been the one to take the picture, running round at the last moment to stand beside Kain; the current Kain chuckled as he looked at his photo self's awkward expression, half hidden behind his fringe, and Ceodore's beautiful, laughing face. Kain put the photo back, then frowned; the one next to it was lying face down, its image hidden. Kain picked it up, and realised instantly why, because it beheld a younger-looking Cecil, cradling newborn Ceodore. Ceodore was still extremely angry at his father, but had tried his best to say nothing about it. Kain brushed some dust off the photo and set it back in its normal position just as Ceodore emerged from the bathing chambers, towelling off his hair. He jumped when he saw Kain, who just laughed. "What are you doing in here?" he asked.

"Just wanted to spend some time with you, like we always do." Kain indicated the photos. "I was looking at these…"

Ceodore's eyes travelled over them, and noticed the photo of his father had been righted. He scowled and flipped it face down again. "I don't like that one," he muttered. Kain rolled his eyes and righted it again.

"Stop it," he said firmly. "I've just spoken with Cecil; he's much better with us now. Leave it be, okay? It's your birthday tomorrow, anyway. Try and cheer up." Ceodore sighed, but nodded and folded up his towel, placing it in a basket before sitting beside Kain. "Sorry," he murmured. "I just haven't spoken to him since we got back."

"Everything is fine," Kain assured him. "Everyone is arriving later as well. Would you like to come with me to greet them?"

"Why is everyone coming here?" Ceodore asked curiously. Kain chuckled and took one of Ceodore's tiny hands in his own.

"They want to celebrate your seventeenth with you tomorrow, you idiot! Why on earth would they want to miss out on it?"

"Good point." Ceodore smiled. "It'll be nice to see everyone again, eh? Hmmm…speaking of…" He indicated the chest of drawers next to his bed. "Would you go in the top drawer and bring out a brown box, Kain?" Kain quickly found said box and handed it to Ceodore, who opened it and pulled out what looked like more photos. "Father's fault," he chuckled. "He loves taking photos; they're a precious memory to him. He gave me these ones. I'd put them in frames, but I don't have enough at the moment." He handed the photos to Kain in a splayed fan; he took them and chuckled as he leafed through them and Ceodore explained, "Father said they were taken at Edge's thirty-seventh birthday, so…ten years ago, these were. Look, you can just about see me in this one…" He pointed to a photo of Rydia laughing with Porom, and indeed, in the background, a tiny blonde boy of about six or seven was sat with his mother, playing with a wooden train. "You were a cute kid," chuckled Kain, continuing to look through the photos.

"Nah, I had a fat face and not enough hair."

"Still cute."

"I disagree."

"I disagree with you." Kain rolled his eyes. "You need some frames for these…how about I find you some more?"

"Yeah! They could be a birthday present or something! I'm not a fan of big presents, and I always tell Father not to bother with anything massive."

"Just as well then," Kain chuckled. He pulled the box towards him, about to put the photos back in, when he noticed a few more lying at the bottom. "Hey, what are-?" Ceodore quickly snatched the photos out, a deep red blush blooming across his face. "What's the matter?" Kain asked. "Are they…naughty?"

"Not really," Ceodore stammered, "but I don't…I'm embarrassed…"

"Let me see, my love." Kain put the other photos back and held out his hand. Reluctantly, Ceodore held out the forbidden ones, and Kain raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why…do you have these ones?"

"I…well, I sort of…stole them from Father's old photo album," Ceodore said nervously. "After you ran off, I took them. I wanted to know what you used to look like…" Kain frowned as he thumbed through the photos; nearly all of them had himself in them, between the ages of about sixteen and twenty-one. "I don't look that different now, I suppose," Kain commented. "I'm greyer now, and I've got lines, but apart from that, not much difference." He pointed to one featuring himself, Rosa and Cecil, all in normal attire without armour. "Your mother was so beautiful when she was younger, and her eyes were for your father only, but he wasn't so interested in her at the time. This was when we were still fooling around. I don't know if you can see as we're both behind Rosa, but Cecil has his hand on my ass in this one!"

Ceodore laughed. "You let him?"

"Yeah, I didn't think anything of it, really. I remember this one being taken, actually; your grandmother took it for us. Afterwards, Cecil and I went off for our usual make out. I still can't believe we used to do that."

Ceodore chuckled a little awkwardly. "This is going to sound weird, since he's my father and all, but…did you enjoy what you used to do?"

Kain nodded. "I did, though I never loved him. Cecil was a good kisser, so that helped, since at first, I had no idea what to do. I still had my eye on your mother, though!" They both laughed, then they put all the photos away and Ceodore snuggled up to Kain happily. "You don't think I'm weird for having loads of photos of you, do you?" he asked.

"I'm more flattered than anything," Kain replied with a chuckle, kissing Ceodore's cheek. "Maybe I should start collecting a few of you."

"Pervert," Ceodore smirked.

"I am no such thing." Kain swatted at Ceodore and he jumped out of the way. "You're not getting your other present now." Ceodore pouted, knowing full well what he was on about.

"Awww, Kain! That's not fair! Please?"

"You'll have to be a good boy."

"I'll be good, I promise! I don't want to miss out on my present!"

Kain chuckled, leaning in to kiss Ceodore deeply. "Well…just for you. You'll still get your present, my love."

* * *

><p>It may have been because Ceodore was excited about his birthday, but early evening set in quite fast and before long, he and Kain (who had left to go into town after a while but returned around six o'clock) heard the steady rumble of Cid's airship passing by his bedroom window. Ceodore jumped off his bed with a joyful cry and hauled Kain up by the hand, pulling him quickly out of the door and down the corridor. "Slow down!" Kain laughed.<p>

"I can't!" the prince insisted, quickly moving towards the castle entrance and flinging the doors open. "I want them to see us as a couple!" He frowned when he felt some resistance; upon turning he saw that Kain had stopped dead. "What's wrong?"

"Are you sure you want to rush into telling everyone?"

"Why not? I mean, all the townspeople know. Why should we keep it from our friends?"

"I just don't want to freak anyone out. Would it be best if they found out tomorrow?" Kain rolled his eyes as Ceodore folded his arms and pouted sullenly. He sighed. "Okay, Ceodore. We'll tell them now."

"Good!" They started towards the doors again. "It wouldn't do for anyone to choke over dinner, would it?"

"Ah, good point." Kain chuckled as Ceodore hopped down the steps two at a time, his eyes fixed firmly on the descending airship. It was nearly at the ground, and Kain had to throw up an arm to shield his eyes from the dust that blew up; it was times like these that he wished he still had his old dragoon helm, with which his eyes would be protected. His dainty winged headpiece offered no protection whatsoever (though Ceodore was grateful Kain had armour that meant his face was visible; he had seen his old armour in photos and, of course, when they encountered Dark Kain last year, and thought it looked cool, but didn't show enough of him). "Do you think everyone came along?" Ceodore said loudly over the roar of the engine.

"No idea!" Kain replied. "Fingers crossed, eh?" Ceodore chuckled and crossed his fingers, then took Kain's free hand and squeezed gently. With a final whirl of dust, the airship settled in front of the castle and Cid poked his head over the side, grinning jovially as always. "Hey, you two lovebirds!" he shouted, waving.

"Hi, Cid!" Ceodore laughed.

"Lovebirds?" sounded a curious voice, and a mop of bright green hair popped up next to Cid. Rydia's eyes grew wide when she saw the couple's linked hands. "Oh!" she exclaimed, a hand over her mouth, then she vanished from sight, hurrying off the airship to greet them first. "What a surprise!" she said, hugging Ceodore first, then Kain. "We'd all heard from Yang and Edward that you were back, Kain, though none of us imagined that we'd find you with a partner!"

"I'm just a box of surprises, eh?" Kain shrugged. The rest of the former party filed off the airship and Kain and Ceodore moved forward to greet everyone; Rydia, who had taken a step back from the couple and swatted away Edge's approaching hand; the Eblan Four (he couldn't remember all their names); Palom with a shy-looking Leonora; Porom holding the young Maenad Cuore; Yang and Ursula, the latter sporting a nasty cut above her left eye, presumably from training; Edward and Harley, and of course, Cid, shouting up to Luca, who was still on board, to move the airship into the docking station. Ceodore looked positively ecstatic that everyone who had fought last year was there, with the exception, of course, of his late uncle. "Right," Cid said, rubbing his hands together, "that's everyone, I reckon. You alright, you two?"

"We're fine," Kain nodded. "Cecil wanted me to meet everyone off the airship, and Ceodore had some news for you all, but I gather they all know now!" He stifled a chuckle and Ceodore just leaned up to kiss his cheek affectionately. Ursula screamed with laughter, choking out, "I knew it! I _knew _it!"

"Thought I'd leave it to you two to explain," Cid said. "Weren't my place this time. Right, shall we go in? It's a bit nippy out here!"

"Yeah!" Ceodore exclaimed, almost bouncing up and down. "Come on, everyone!" He turned on his heel and hurried back into the castle, gesturing to everyone. "A little excited, isn't he?" Edward chuckled, holding out a hand to Harley to help her up the steps.

"Just a little," Kain smirked.

"You're looking well," Edward told Kain as he fell into step beside him. "Cecil delivered your father's lance to you, I presume?"

"He did. Thank you so much, Edward. It was an honour to receive it."

The ruler of Damcyan laughed. "Oh, that's quite all right. And what of Ceodore? How did you two end up together, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I…it's complicated. I fell for him as soon as I saw him, and he says he felt the same way when he first met me."

"Love at first sight…just as it was for Anna and I…" Edward sighed. "I'm sure everybody is very happy for you, Kain."

"Thanks. Shouldn't you be looking for love yourself?"

"I suppose." Edward's eyes flicked over to Harley for a split-second, then he noticed Kain watching him and he blushed. "S-Sorry."

"Don't apologise, nutcase. Hey…where did Ceodore go?"

"I think I can hear him round the corner, talking to his father." Everybody rounded said corner and Ceodore was indeed talking to a chuckling Cecil; a few moments later Rosa was also by his side. Cecil looked up at his guests and smiled warmly. "Good evening, everyone! I hope your journey went well. Before I take you all into the dining hall, Rosa and I have some news to share with you."

Ursula laughed. "We already know about the lovebirds, Uncle Cecil!"

"Oh, it's not that, sweetheart. No, no…quite different." Cecil put an arm round Rosa's shoulders and kissed her cheek. "We are expecting another child!" The women all screamed with excitement and ran forward to embrace a giggling Rosa, while the men laughed and wolf-whistled, slapping Cecil on the back, all congratulating the royal couple. Ceodore took a step back from the touching scene and put a hand on Kain's arm, smiling up at him gently. "I'll have to say thanks to Father for arranging this," he murmured. Kain nodded and embraced his love as best he could with the armour they wore getting in the way. "I told you he's lightened up a little, didn't I?"

"Yeah…I should have believed you, I guess. Sorry, Kain."

"It's okay. Come here…" Kain leaned down and captured Ceodore's lips in a soft kiss, smiling when he felt Ceodore's arms lock round his neck, pulling him in closer; however, Cecil cleared his throat loudly and they jumped apart, both blushing. "Not right now, you two," Cecil said firmly.

"Sorry, Cecil."

"S-Sorry, Father."

Cecil laughed softly. "No matter. Follow me, everyone."

"Did we really just get away with that?" Ceodore whispered to Kain as they started walking again.

"Looks like it!"

"He really _is _lightening up!"

"Yeah…nice to have him as Mr Nice Guy again."


	14. Chapter 14

_My mouth…why is it so dry…? _Without opening his eyes, Ceodore rubbed his temples and licked the inside of his mouth to try and moisten it a little. He vaguely remembered drinking a bit too much at dinner, having a contest with Ursula to see who could sneak the most alcohol without their parents noticing. Eventually Kain had made a few excuses and dragged Ceodore away from the table to put him to bed, with Yang doing the same thing with his equally inebriated daughter. _I really shouldn't have done that…Father is going to kill me..._

Ceodore turned over, eyes still closed, then frowned as he felt warm breaths on his brow; he opened his eyes and chuckled softly as he saw Kain lay fast asleep beside him, his golden hair spilling over his bare shoulder. _When did he get here? _Ceodore thought, reaching out a hand and resting it on Kain's hip; the dragoon twitched a little in response and scooted closer to Ceodore, snuggling up to him cutely. It then hit Ceodore that if Kain was in bed with him, it meant he was now seventeen! Excited by that thought, he gently shook Kain awake. "Kain, Kain! Wake up!"

"…Mmm…w-what?" Kain cracked an eye open and raised a hand to rub sleep out of it. "Morning, Ceodore…"

"Guess what day it is?"

"Oh, of course…" Kain sat up and stretched, then rubbed his eyes again, smiling when Ceodore wound his arms round him and kissed the junction between his neck and shoulder. "Happy birthday, my love. Excited?"

"Course!" Ceodore laughed. He let go of Kain and the older man turned round, crossing his legs and getting more comfortable. "So what's happening today?" Ceodore asked him.

Kain tapped his nose. "You're not supposed to know!"

"Awww, be fair!"

"It's your birthday! Everything has to be a surprise, doesn't it?"

Ceodore stuck out his bottom lip. "Fine. Anyway, how come you're in my bed? I might have been drunk last night but I'm sure I'd remember you getting into bed with me!"

Kain laughed softly. "Well, I put you to bed and apologised to Cecil when we all settled down for a drink. He's not too bothered, by the way; he says he would have been if the guests had been anyone but our old friends. Ursula got a right seeing to, though! She got put to bed as well." Ceodore spluttered with laughter at this. Kain carried on, "Anyway, after that, it was pretty late and everyone went to bed; I realised it was past midnight so officially, you were seventeen, therefore I was allowed to share your bed! So I came in here and made myself comfortable. I didn't think you'd mind."

"No, I don't mind at all! Hmmm…so if I'm seventeen now, that means I can do this…"

Kain jumped in surprise as Ceodore pressed his hand between his legs and rubbed. "C-Ceodore!" he gasped, "what are you doing?"

"Waking you up a little more," Ceodore smirked, feeling Kain quickly hardening beneath his touch. Kain bit his lip hard, trying not to make any noise that might give their actions away to anyone passing by the bedroom, but it did feel good and he couldn't help letting out the odd small groan or gasp; Ceodore took care of that by crushing their mouths together and forcing his tongue into the older man's mouth, swallowing his noises of pleasure. Kain was vaguely aware of hands tugging frantically at his leggings and Ceodore's heavy breathing, but he wasn't sure whether to let him carry on or not; he was almost grateful when there was a sudden tap at the door and Ceodore jumped back quickly. "Ceodore!" came Ursula's brash voice. "You up, birthday boy?"

"Um, yeah," Ceodore replied, flashing Kain a smirk as the dragoon readjusted his leggings. "You, er, wanna come in?"

"Don't mind if I do!"

"Ceodore!" Kain hissed. "I'm not wearing-" He was cut off by Ursula striding into the room with a bright smile. "Ugh," he groaned, putting his head in his hands; Ursula stopped dead, staring at Kain with wide eyes. "Um, did I come at a bad time?" she laughed.

"No," Ceodore grinned. "We only just got up. How's your head?"

"Aching a little bit. Yours?"

"Same. Kain says you got told off by Uncle Yang!"

"Meh, even if he did tell me off I can't remember!" The Fabul princess plonked herself down on a chair and smirked at the couple. "So, I was right, wasn't I? You know what I'm getting at, Kain."

"Mmm," he replied, in the process of pulling his tunic on.

"What?" Ceodore looked from Kain to Ursula with a confused expression. "Am I missing something?"

Ursula rolled her eyes. "I could tell you two had the hots for each other when we were rebuilding Fen. Couldn't keep your eyes off each other! Plus, Kain wouldn't discuss anything to do with kids or marriage, so it just clicked that you're both gay!"

"I'm not gay," Kain snorted.

"Eh? But-"

"Oh, can it, Ursula!" groaned Ceodore. "What does it matter? We're in love, and that's all that matters, right?"

She nodded. "I suppose so, yeah. Anyway, I just ran into Uncle Cecil, and he says do what you want for the day, just be in town for six o'clock, okay?" She stood up and brushed off her dress. "Oh, and of course he said happy birthday as well, but he'll be really busy so you probably won't see him till later. Alright, see ya!" She stuck her tongue out at the couple, then darted out of the room. Ceodore watched her go with a slightly disdainful expression. "Well, at least she's stopped the apparent flirting now..." he muttered. Kain chuckled lightly and put an arm round Ceodore, pulling him close.

"That's my job now, eh?"

"Yeah." Ceodore kissed Kain on the tip of his nose and giggled. "We'd best find something to do; can't stay in bed all day."

"Awww, not fair!" Kain pouted. "I'd love to stay in bed all day with you."

"Me too, but we've-" He sighed at Kain's loveable expression. "Okay, Kain. We'll stay in bed a bit longer."

"You sound like you don't want to," Kain chuckled, swiftly removing his tunic again and getting comfortable on the bed. Ceodore just rolled his eyes and lay down again, letting Kain wrap his strong arms round his tiny body. "You're so cute," Kain murmured happily, nuzzling his love.

"I beg to differ," the prince chuckled.

"No, you are. You're adorable..." Kain sighed softly. "I'm glad I found you, Ceodore. I've gone my whole life not knowing what it feels like to be loved...and now I know, and it's the best thing I have ever felt. I love you so much..."

"Oh, Kain..." Ceodore breathed, "that's really sweet." He hugged the dragoon tightly. "I love you too. I always have, and I always will."

* * *

><p>The couple stayed in bed till around midday (with a little fooling around thrown in, though it still went no further than kissing and touching) and probably would have stayed longer had Rosa not almost hammered the door down to remind Kain that he had to take the Red Wings out for training. "Sorry, Rosa," Kain said meekly, smirking at Ceodore, who had jumped out of bed the minute he heard his mother and was pretending to read.<p>

"Oh, you men…" the Queen sighed. "I figured you might have forgotten." She rubbed a hand over her rounding stomach and flicked her eyes over to her son. "Ceodore, you can go along too, if you wish, but of course, today's your day. Do whatever you want."

"Ursula said the same thing," Ceodore nodded. "It might be my birthday but I shouldn't shirk training. I'll go along with them after I've had a bathe."

"Take your time, son; it's not for another hour yet," Rosa replied with a smile. Ceodore put his book down, gave Kain a kiss on the cheek, then slipped off the bed and opened the door to his private chamber, disappearing inside it. Rosa made sure the door was securely closed before leaning close to Kain and murmuring, "Keep him away from the town, okay? I don't want Ceodore catching wind of his little surprise."

"Don't worry," Kain assured her, "I'll take everyone a good distance away from town. I'll have to keep training basic today, since I've got a new recruit coming along." Kain scratched his head. "I wonder how the boys will react to her; she's the first female Dragoon I've ever come across."

"They'll be fine with her," Rosa laughed. "Don't worry so much. I'd best leave you to it. If you need me, I'll be round town, okay?" Kain nodded, and the Queen smiled before leaving the room; Kain lay back on the bed, arms behind his head and eyes closed, waiting for Ceodore to finish his bathe. He was tempted to peek in again, but didn't fancy another sponge to the face very much. On the other hand, the couple were close to getting what they wanted, and would have to become comfortable with each other's bodies before that could happen. After ten minutes he got up off the bed and tapped on the door. He heard Ceodore give a surprised squeak. "Y-Yes?"

"Mind if I come in?"

"What? W-Why?"

"Let me in and I'll explain."

There was a long silence, then Ceodore murmured, "It's not locked," and Kain stepped in to see Ceodore had jumped out of the water and covered himself with a towel. "What's up?" the prince asked, a blush blooming across his cheeks.

"I thought I could join you and save time," Kain chuckled. Ceodore's eyes widened and he tightened the towel round his waist self-consciously. "Um...I don't know, Kain. I, well…"

"What's the matter?"

"I'm just…" Ceodore stared down at his white chest with a disgusted expression. "I'm so ugly. I couldn't have you see me like that."

Kain shook his head. "Ceodore…you're beautiful. How could I ever find you ugly?" He stepped forward and touched Ceodore's cheek. "Besides, you say _I'm _beautiful all the time, and I can't see it for the life of me."

"I…" Ceodore closed his eyes at Kain's touch and smiled softly. "I suppose…I suppose you can get in with me then. But please don't say anything!"

"I won't," Kain promised. He turned round so Ceodore could slip off his towel and clamber back into the water; he could feel the younger boy's eyes on him as he undressed. Even when they had been up in the mountains, they had bathed separately and had only ever seen each other shirtless; Ceodore was always worried of what Kain would think, but of course, there was no need to worry. Kain had no qualms about his own body, as much as he disliked it, so he made no attempt to cover himself as he finished undressing and slid into the water beside Ceodore, who was gazing in rapture at his unclothed form. "What?" Kain chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"My god," the prince whispered. "You're…my god, Kain…you're gorgeous!" Kain's tanned skin was criss-crossed with battle scars, but to Ceodore they showed just how strong and brave his love was. He stepped forward and ran his hands over Kain's body; Kain closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. "Mmm…"

"You like that?"

"Of course I do…" Kain arched a little into Ceodore's touch, then his eyes snapped open and he chuckled. "Come on, let's not get carried away. There's training to do soon."

"You're right. Sorry, Kain!" Ceodore flashed him a suggestive look, but moved away from Kain and began to wash himself, looking across to the older dragoon every now and then; his deep brown eyes followed the prince, watching his every move. Kain had to admit that he was extremely aroused, but was trying his hardest not to show it as he soaped himself up also. However, when Ceodore moved over again and gave Kain a quick kiss, he gasped as he felt Kain's arousal brush against his thigh. "K-Kain!" he spluttered. "What on earth-?"

"Sorry." Kain scratched his head meekly. "I guess I like what I see…a hell of a lot."

"Maybe getting in with me was a bad idea," the prince chuckled.

"I disagree. I'd never have seen you naked otherwise."

"You still haven't, not properly."

"Hmmm. True." Kain could hardly discern anything beneath the water rippling round Ceodore's slim hips and uttered a low curse. "Still, I will in due time. You seemed to like what _you _saw, at any rate…"

Ceodore laughed softly and leaned up to kiss Kain again, threading his fingers through the dragoon's wet hair. "You have a gorgeous body. Of course I liked what I saw."

"Pfft. I can't call myself gorgeous when I'm covered in scars."

"Scars determine someone's beauty?"

"Well, I…"

"Yet you say I'm beautiful?"

"O-Of course, but-"

"Then what about these?" Ceodore ran his thumb over the underside of his left forearm, bringing to Kain's attention a web of scars that he had never noticed before; tears sprang to his eyes as he took Ceodore's arm in his hands and stared at the silvery lines. "Ceodore," he whispered. "Why…?"

"That was what it took to stop me from telling my parents about my sexuality. I had to cut myself up because I was convinced I was bad and it might just go away. I thought I'd never find the one…I did this for years; till last year, in fact. I stopped when I met you." He gently removed Kain's hands and wiped away a tear that trickled down the dragoon's cheek. "Don't worry. I won't ever do it again. I _have _found the one, and it's you."

"Promise me you won't do this again?"

"I promise, my love." Ceodore hugged Kain tightly, smiling when he felt his love's wet arms slide round his shoulders and hold him closer. "And we keep saying it and getting distracted, but we _really _need to get finished off or we'll be late for training."

"Yes…you're right." Kain let go of Ceodore and they hurriedly returned to their bathe.

Well, that little revelation of Ceodore's had taken the edge off Kain's arousal completely, at least, though he wasn't sure that was a good thing to be grateful for at all. They finished up quickly, dried off and redressed before hurrying off to meet the Red Wings.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, while Kain led his men (and one woman) to the plains outside Baron, preparations were under way for Ceodore's birthday. The entire former party had gathered at the town pub, getting everything together for when he came. Rydia had fallen off a bar stool while trying to put up a banner, and Edge caught her in time, much to her disgust (he had tried to look up her skirt in the process), but apart from that, everything else was going well. Rosa had come along to help, but so far, Cecil was nowhere to be seen. "He's still in the castle," Rosa explained as she helped Palom move a few tables. "Today's a bit...well, <em>hard <em>for him."

"Eh?" Palom raised an eyebrow. "He's worried Ceodore's flying the nest or something?"

"Oh no, nothing of the sort. You saw Ceodore and Kain last night..."

The young mage laughed loudly. "Yeah, we saw them all right! Couldn't keep their hands off each other! So, uh, how long that been going on?"

"I think nearly two months. Anyway, that aside, it's tough for Cecil because today's the day Ceodore becomes a man, so therefore, he and Kain..." Rosa trailed off and shook her head. "It doesn't matter, really. He's just not entirely used to his son dating his best friend yet."

"Yeah, it is a bit weird, but whatever makes them happy is fine by us. Sit down, Rosa! You shouldn't be lifting anything anymore."

Rosa sighed. "Yes, sir..." She retreated to an abandoned bar stool and sat down on it heavily, reaching into her robe pocket for her pack of potato sticks, starting to nibble as she watched the party assemble everything. Most of the decorations were in place now- they were sparse as Ceodore was never one for anything lavish, but it still looked good- and Palom and Porom were now busily moving the rest of the tables around so there would be more room. Of course, Edge was chatting up the barmaids, in classic Geraldine style. It left Rydia free to weave her way through the party and flop down next to Rosa, smiling at her. "Hungry?" she asked.

"Craving!" giggled Rosa, crunching a few more sticks. Rydia looked longingly at Rosa's rounding belly and sighed heavily. "I'd love a child myself," she said. "You and Cecil seem so happy with each other...and you've been together so long too."

"It's taken a lot of work to get to where we are, honey," Rosa replied. "There have been times where we've both been on the verge of walking out on each other. I almost did recently, after Cecil-" She abruptly stopped as the pub door opened and her husband strode in. "Um, no matter," she whispered.

"No, tell me!" Rydia whispered back. Cecil looked over to them and smiled briefly before turning away to greet Cid. "Come on. Tell me! What happened?"

"I...well, don't yell at Cecil for this, but he wouldn't accept Ceodore and Kain at first. They had to leave Baron till he relented."

Rydia gasped, a hand over her mouth. "You're kidding! But...Cecil's such a forgiving person! What do you mean, he wouldn't accept them?"

"Um...oh dear. I don't think I should tell you this..."

"Hey, I'm your best friend, right? And best friends tell each other _everything!" _Rydia batted her lashes and clasped her hands. "Pretty please tell me, Rosa?"

Rosa held a hand to her face, shaking her head. "Okay, I'll tell you..." She looked around quickly for Cecil, but he was still chatting away to Cid across the room and would hear nothing. Rosa put her potato sticks away and murmured to Rydia, "Cecil was jealous. He's always loved Kain." Rydia gasped again, her eyes growing wide. "I almost left him over this. I couldn't bear to see Ceodore and Kain so hurt, and I hated Cecil for what he'd done. He...he gave in eventually though. I can be rather persuasive."

Rydia raised a pale green eyebrow. "Persuasive? Are we thinking something naughty here?"

Rose laughed. "Why, of course! I have my ways with him."

"Care to share a few? Just so I can laugh at imagining Cecil in the bedroom."

"Rydia, you dirty girl." Rosa put a hand to her head, thinking. "Um...my mind's gone blank. Well, put it this way, if we're disagreeing over something, the best thing to do is tie him down and tease him till he gives in!" The women shrieked with laughter, causing most heads to turn; Cecil had just about caught what Rosa had said and turned away quickly, blushing furiously and hoping nobody else heard her. It seemed Edge did though, as his face was a mask of glee (for once he wasn't wearing his usual mask). "Someone's embarrassed!" Rydia laughed, pointing at Cecil. Rosa looked over at her husband and collapsed into another fit of giggles at his bright red face. "Oh dear," she choked. "He's going to get me later!"

"Oooh!"

"Rydia!"

"Hey, I knew what you were getting at!"

"Well...yeah, I suppose."

* * *

><p>"Phew!" Ceodore flopped down into the grass and wiped his brow free of sweat. "I'm exhausted!"<p>

"You're lucky we're on break then," smiled Petra, the new recruit to the Red Wings, and the only female Dragoon. She sat down beside Ceodore and removed her draconian helmet, shaking back her long black hair. Ceodore had to admit she looked a little out of place in full armour, but then again, he was used to women wearing dresses. "How are you settling in?" he asked her. "I mean, I've totally forgotten where you said you came from."

Petra laughed lightly. "You have a worse memory than me! I'm from Agart, so I'm descended from dwarves."

"That explains how you're a lot stronger than some of us."

"It's possible, but I've also been training since I was five. Captain Highwind tells me most aspiring soldiers in Baron begin training at eight or nine...was it the same for you?"

"Yeah." Ceodore lay back in the grass. "I only joined the Red Wings last year and obtained by Proof of Knighthood then as well. Kain went with me."

Petra raised an eyebrow. "Who is Kain?"

"Oh, that's the Captain's name. Nobody told you?"

"I haven't had the chance to properly speak to anyone else except the Captain, and all he really said was good luck, he had faith in me, and don't address Ceodore by his title when training."

"Yeah, it really puts a damper on everything when everyone insists on calling me Highness." Ceodore sat up and looked across at Petra, who had pulled up a clump of daisies and was making a chain, smiling at it. She appeared to only be a year or two older than himself, and she had dark skin, which was unusual in Baron, but Ceodore knew it was because of her dwarven heritage. Looking over Petra's shoulder, he spied Kain perching himself on a rock and taking a long drink from his water skin, and he smiled gently. Petra looked up and frowned at him. "What are you smiling at?"

"Kain, of course."

"Hm?"

"Oh, wait...nobody would have told you, would they?"

"No." Petra looked thoroughly confused. "I suppose you're good friends?"

Ceodore laughed. "More than that, Petra!"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything-"

"It's fine! It only really came out recently anyway, but we won't show anything when we're training, don't worry."

"It's not a problem, it doesn't offend me!" Petra wound the finished daisy chain she had made round her armoured wrist. "In Agart, to love the same sex is completely acceptable. Is it the same here? I must apologise- I only came here a few days ago, so I know nothing of Baron custom."

"Well...generally everyone's been supportive, but my father was a bit put off, since Kain's his best friend. It was the whole 'can't produce an heir' thing, but my mother is pregnant, so he's relaxed a bit now." Ceodore looked over at Kain again and caught his eye this time; the dragoon pulled off his helm and flashed Ceodore a cheeky wink. Ceodore stuck his tongue out in response, making Petra laugh. "Well, whatever happens, I wish you good luck," she said. "You're the first prince I've met, and I'm glad I can talk normally with you."

"You'll see a lot more of me now we're going to be flying together, eh?"

"I suppose so. I've had some odd looks today though, being the only girl here."

"Can't get much odder than the gay prince, though!"

They both laughed. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Oh, the Captain's coming over." She quickly put her helmet back on and Ceodore sat up a little straighter, but Kain was shaking his head as he approached. "Cut it out, you two," he chuckled. "I ran overtime a little; training's over. Everyone's going back to the castle now." He settled himself down on the grass before Ceodore and Petra, brushing his hair out of his scarred eyes. "So, Petra...how has your first day been?"

"I've enjoyed it, Captain," she replied earnestly. "I think it will take a while for the men to get used to me, though."

"Your gender doesn't matter. Just as long as you're capable, willing to learn and show an eagerness to serve the kingdom, you will fit in just as well as anyone else. Ceodore here is treated like a friend rather than the crown prince, for example, and I myself have only been commanding the Red Wings a few months. We're all different, but in the end we're all accepted. Bear that in mind. Ah, but speaking of gender..." Kain pulled out a scroll from a pouch round his waist and scanned it. "Right...Ceodore, it's from your father; he gave it to me just before training. He says can you please show Petra where the women's bathing chambers are in the castle, and then go bathe yourself, you're expected in the town."

Ceodore raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? This has been a weird birthday, eh?" Kain helped him to his feet, then Ceodore did the same for Petra. "Come on then, I'll show you round. What are you doing now, Kain?"

"Oh, I think I'll go for a drink," Kain smirked. "You're welcome to join me later."

"I might just do that, since I'm old enough now." He leaned up and gave Kain a quick kiss. Kain froze in response, but upon seeing Petra's gentle smile he relaxed and wrapped his arms round Ceodore, giving him another kiss on his cheek. "Let's set off," he murmured, and Ceodore nodded; Kain released him and they fell into step beside each other, with Petra on Ceodore's right. When they got to the town Kain bid them farewell and headed off to the pub, intent on seeing how preparations had come along; Ceodore and Petra returned to the castle. Kain peeped in through the pub window and caught Cecil's eye; the King gestured for him to come in, which he did. "Kain!" Cecil exclaimed, laying a hand on his arm when he drew near. "How did training go?"

"It was fine." Kain waved to a few more of the former party.

"And Ceodore...has he gone to the castle?"

"Yeah, he's nowhere near here."

"Ah, good. Has he had reason to suspect anything?"

"Nothing. You know what he's like, naïve to the last."

"Of course." Cecil laughed lightly, then his tone turned serious. "Kain, I...please look after him. He may become a man today, but he is forever a child in my eyes. Today is...hard for me. I know what will happen..."

"What do you mean?" Kain jerked his head towards two stools, and they both sat down. "What will happen?"

"You know what I mean, old friend. Once you and Ceodore have had a few drinks, what will be the thing foremost in your mind?"

"Ah...that. Cecil, listen, if you'd rather nothing happened, I can-"

"No, Kain." Cecil held up a hand. "I cannot stop you, and I don't _want _to stop you. You may do whatever you wish, but still..." He bowed his head and sighed. "Kain, I feel so helpless. How can I...forget about you?"

Kain shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I...I suppose you pined for me all these years because you knew I was always available. Please don't make this any harder for us; it already breaks Ceodore's heart to know he breaks yours."

"My heart is fully intact, thank goodness for that. I'm grateful I have Rosa to love...deep down I know you and I could never have been together, so I beg you to make Ceodore as happy as Rosa makes me." Cecil reached over and squeezed Kain's hand. "Maybe, seeing him happy, it will help me overcome my blasted feelings."

"I won't let you down," Kain assured Cecil.

The King smiled gently at his best friend. "Thank you, Kain. I trust you. I know I was harsh at first, but now I see the good in your love for Ceodore. Can you ever forgive me for my actions?"

Kain laughed shortly and hugged Cecil. "Of course I can forgive you, old friend. Get a few drinks down you tonight, you'll forget all about me! You'll just want to drag Rosa to bed instead."

"Hmmm...yes, that does sound nice," chuckled Cecil. "Her pregnancy does not seem to affect her desires. I can be thankful for that."

"You horny bastard," Kain smirked.

"Come tonight, if all goes well, I shall probably say the same about you. Please spare me the details, though!"

"Like I'd tell you!" Kain stuck his tongue out. "Besides, that'd be just gross and plain weird if I did tell you." He unhooked his water skin from his waist and took a long drink; he didn't want to imbibe any alcohol till Ceodore arrived. "Ah, by the way...I bought Ceodore a little gift last night. Should I put it anywhere?"

"No, keep it on you, if you have it." Cecil looked down at Kain's pouch; the dragoon was rummaging through it intently. "Is it in there?"

"Yes, I've had them on me all day. They'll come in useful after tonight; I know you'll probably be snapping away like you always do."

Cecil smiled. "You know me too well, Kain. I'm sure Ceodore will be delighted." He looked out of the window, furrowing his brow a little. "He should still be some time from coming here, I should think."

"It's first priority to make sure Petra is comfortable with her surroundings and knows where she is."

"Petra? Oh, of course. Yes, I remember Rosa telling me. I have yet to meet her. Did she cope with the training?"

"For her first time, she coped better than most of the others did, though I suppose she was determined to show that she could work as hard as any male."

"I'm glad she's shown talent already."

"As am I." Kain gazed around the room, looking at his former comrades; everybody had sat down now and were just waiting for Ceodore to arrive. Rosa was nibbling away as usual, giggling with Porom, Leonora and Rydia; Edge had given up trying to chat up the barmaids and had moved away to talk to Cid and Luca; Ursula was being told off by her father; Edward sat shyly away from everybody else, conversing in a quiet voice with his secretary Harley (Kain noticed the ruler's hand had placed itself on Harley's thigh and he suppressed a chuckle at Edward's bold move); Palom was deep in conversation with the Eblan Four, though what they were talking about, Kain had no idea. Kain took another drink from his water skin and rested his head on his hand, waiting for Ceodore to come along. However, they didn't have to wait long, as it seemed that Ceodore had discovered none of his friends were in the castle and he had been made to be busy all day, put two and two together and bathed quickly before hurrying down to the town. The prince burst through the door, took one look around and burst out laughing. "You really didn't have to!" he beamed, blushing furiously as his parents came over to hug him. "Awww, I love you guys!"

"Happy birthday, son," Cecil murmured, pressing a kiss to Ceodore's brow. "We couldn't let your seventeenth go uncelebrated, could we? We'd be the worst parents ever."

"Well, yeah." Ceodore grinned. "Thanks, everyone!" He looked across the room at Kain, who flicked his fingers in greeting and stuck his tongue out playfully. Cecil took Ceodore over to the rest of the party so they could greet him, then Rosa made Ceodore close his eyes while Cecil motioned for one of the barmaids to bring out his main gift from behind the bar. "What are you doing?" Ceodore giggled. "Mother, get your hands off my eyes!"

"You're not allowed to look yet!" she chided. She looked over at her husband. "Cecil, darling?"

"Hold your hand out, Ceodore," Cecil smiled; Ceodore's hand reached out and a frown furrowed his brow, his eyes still closed. His hand closed round cold metal and he gasped, weighing the object in his hands. "I should have known!" he cried, opening his eyes and laughing at the sword he held. "My coming of age present, eh?"

"Well, if it suits you, of course," Cecil reminded him. "It's been made especially for your fighting style, but not every weapon suits its master."

"No, it's wonderful!" Ceodore lifted it up and down, testing its weight again, then held it out at arm's length (Porom jumped back quickly to avoid being stabbed). "It's perfect; it's not too heavy or anything, and the hilt is just right for my hand." Cecil handed him the scabbard and Ceodore sheathed the sword, then threw his arms round his father, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry I've been such an idiot recently," he said in a muffled voice.

"And I am sorry for everything I have done recently," Cecil replied, hugging Ceodore just as tightly. "Enjoy yourself tonight; you've earned it."

"I will!"

And indeed, Ceodore did. For the first hour, he sat with his old friends and exchanged news (they also passed over their own little gifts and Kain told Ceodore he was to come back to the Red Wings; he was ecstatic when he heard this), and after that, he moved over with his parents and Kain, who had all moved back to the bar. Cecil, as Kain predicted, had already come over a little tipsy and kept giggling at whatever anyone said to him; Kain tried not to pay attention to the excitable King and looked round the room again. He had been keeping an eye on Edward since their talk the previous evening, and he couldn't help smiling as Edward planted a small kiss on a blushing Harley's cheek. _That's my man! _He thought triumphantly, taking a sip of his ale. It was about time Edward found love; the man was so incredibly shy. "Whatchya looking at?" Ceodore asked, draping his arms round Kain from behind.

"Oh, nothing really."

"Liar," Ceodore giggled; he had had his fair share of alcohol and his head was buzzing pleasantly now. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. Lemme sit down..." He sat down heavily on a stool opposite Kain and smiled at him. "Today's been pretty cool, eh?"

"I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself," Kain smiled back.

"I wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much if you hadn't been here." Ceodore took Kain's hands in his own and squeezed. "I was thinking I'd spend this one alone...thanks, Kain."

"Why are you thanking me?" Kain chuckled. "I think you've had a bit to drink, my love."

"Just a bit. But I'm thanking you because I can celebrate with you! Well, I could have done anyway, but we might have only been friends, and I would have probably got wasted and thrown myself at you."

Kain smirked. "I wouldn't have said no."

"R-Really?" Ceodore's eyes widened. "I thought you'd have backed off."

"I couldn't! Well, if you were really drunk I might have backed off a little, but in the end I'd give in. You're just too sexy for your own good." Kain looked round to check if Cecil was nearby; he and Rosa had moved away to speak to the Twins. "And anyway..." Kain flashed Ceodore a seductive look, "Don't forget about your _other _present..."

"Mmm...what are you giving me?"

"It has to be kept a surprise, my love."

"But I don't like surprises!" Ceodore gulped down his drink and pouted.

"You'll like this one!" Kain leaned in and pressed a kiss to Ceodore's cheek; the prince groaned and grabbed Kain's hair, pushing his head down and making the dragoon's soft lips trail instead down his jawline and neck. _Thank goodness nobody is watching! _Kain couldn't help thinking; this was already making him extremely aroused and he knew Ceodore was too; he could evidently see the straining bulge in the younger man's leggings. Kain pulled back from Ceodore and shook his head when the prince pouted again. "We had best calm down before we leap on each other," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess so. More drinks?"

"More drinks."


	15. Chapter 15

Ceodore was very much aware of the fact that he was useless at holding his alcohol; after four ales he decided to stop drinking, as did Kain (though he had consumed double of Ceodore's and was finally starting to look tipsy. Ceodore was incredibly jealous of his ability to hold it). The rest of the night was spent sat with the rest of the party, talking and laughing about old times, and of course, the hot topic was Ceodore and Kain's relationship. "Unfortunately it's frowned upon in Mysidia," Porom sighed. "It's a shame, especially since Palom and I are the leaders of the damn place now, but it's an old law of sorts that we could not change. Nevertheless, you have our complete support."

"Thanks, Porom," Ceodore smiled, giving the pretty mage a hug. "It means a lot that people understand."

"Well, you know what makes you happy, so we'll always be behind you!" Leonora fiddled with a stray thread on her dress as she said this; she had never really spoken much to Ceodore so was blushing and didn't want to look up. "I mean, who are people to stand in the way of you? They have no right, and you're Cecil's son, so you will always be special to us. What makes you and Kain happy, makes us happy." Ceodore beamed at this and snuggled up to a chuckling Kain; the dragoon put an arm round him and kissed his brow affectionately, his eyes a little unfocused. Cecil seemed to find this hilarious as he had hardly ever seen Kain drunk, but in all honesty he was probably just as drunk as his best friend, if not more. "Cecil, calm down," Rosa sighed, swatting at his arm; of course, she was stone cold sober. The King just murmured incoherently, his speech punctuated by giggles, and buried his head in his wife's shoulder, nuzzling her. "Heh, Father's wasted," Ceodore pointed out.

"Oh, he'll be fine," Rosa replied, running a hand through Cecil's hair. "It's been a while since he drank a lot. And no more for a while, you!"

Ceodore held up his hands. "I know, I know! No more for a while!"

"Good boy."

"You're such a spoilsport, Mother..."

"I'd rather Kain not have to carry you back to the castle in a fireman's lift...though by the looks of things, it'll probably be vice versa..."

"Nah, I'm fine," Kain grinned. "Don't worry, Rosa. I'm looking after him."

"Ha. Looking after..." Palom spluttered with laughter. "Yeah, right!"

"Oh, shut it, mage!"

"Hey, dude. We _all _know what's gonna happen when you two get back up to the castle," Palom smirked.

"Mother!" Ceodore threw an exasperated look to Rosa. "Help?"

She just laughed. "Oh, ignore them, son."

Kain chuckled and leaned in close, his breath tickling Ceodore's ear. "He's not wrong though..."

"Yeah, but I don't want the world knowing!" Kain just chuckled again at this and his tongue darted out to flick along the shell of Ceodore's ear; Ceodore bit his lip in response and tried not to moan out loud.

"No worries...you don't have to tell anybody. How about I head back to the castle and, well...get everything ready?"

"You're serious, aren't you? You actually want to..."

"Why wouldn't I?" Kain wrapped his arms round Ceodore and pressed their foreheads together. "Besides, I don't think you would really refuse."

"No, I'm definitely not refusing. I'm just nervous."

"Me too," the dragoon admitted.

"That makes two of us. Go on, you head up. I'll join you soon."

"Looking forward to it." Kain pulled back and winked at Ceodore, then made some excuse to the party so he could leave the pub. Palom caught Ceodore's eye and sniggered, but the half-drunk prince only rolled his eyes and stole the rest of the black mage's drink when he wasn't looking.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Kain managed to make his way into the eerily quiet castle (it was almost midnight) without appearing overly drunk; there were a few of the Red Wings around and it would not have been appropriate for them to have seen him in such a state. They stopped for a few minutes hushed conversation with their captain, before heading off home and leaving Kain to locate his room. He often wandered into Ceodore's by accident these days, as he spent so much time in there now, but he eventually pushed open his own bedroom door and sat down heavily on the bed, removing his headgear and shaking his hair out of its leather tie. He had indeed consumed a lot of alcohol, but he wasn't as drunk as he seemed and was perfectly aware of what was going on and what he and Ceodore had decided. <em>Yep, this is going to be an eventful night, <em>he though to himself as he began to loosen his many pieces of armour, t_hough admittedly, neither of us know what the hell to do. Hopefully it will just come to us. I sure hope so…_

Kain deposited his armour in its usual corner along with his lance and sword, then changed out of his leather underclothes into something more comfortable. The dragoon's heart was pounding unnaturally fast; he touched the warm skin of his chest and frowned. _Not often I feel this nervous. Right, where did I leave those matches…?_

* * *

><p>Ceodore yawned widely and looked over to the clock; it read twenty past midnight. "I'm tired," he said to the party. "I think I'll turn in for the night now. That okay?"<p>

"Boooring!" Ursula giggled. "Come on, stay with us!"

Yang rolled his eyes. "You're off to bed soon yourself, young lady."

"Awww!"

"Quiet, Ursula."

"Sorry," she murmured.

"You can go back to the castle if you want," Rosa nodded. "The pub will be closing up soon anyway, and I need to get your father to bed…" She chuckled and stroked some silky hair back from Cecil's face; he had fallen asleep with his head on his wife's shoulder. "Need some help?" Ceodore offered.

Rosa shook her head. "No, don't worry." She shook Cecil gently. "Cecil, darling…Cecil, wake up!"

"Hm?" Cecil raised his head and smiled sleepily. "What's up?"

"Ceodore is going back to the castle, and I'm taking you up as well," Rosa told him; when he frowned she rolled her eyes. "Cecil, you're obviously very drunk if you fell asleep on me."

"Ah, fair point…" Cecil stretched and rubbed his slightly bloodshot eyes. "Um…right, we should, um, go then. What about…everyone else?"

"They can come back when they want," Rosa sighed, hauling Cecil to his feet. "Sorry about him, everyone," she said to the party; most of them just laughed and said it was no problem. Cecil just shrugged and grinned, not bothered by Rosa in the slightest.

Nobody had noticed Ceodore slip out of the door and hurry towards the castle, driven by his intense desires. He had no idea why he felt so strongly right now, but he knew Kain was waiting for him, and he knew exactly what he wanted. If all went well, he would be able to give it to him…give himself fully to his love. _Note to self; horny! _He thought to himself, reaching Kain's room (he just assumed he'd be in there rather than Ceodore's) and tapping on the door. "Kain?"

"Come on in," Kain replied, and Ceodore opened the door, then gasped. The room was lit by a few candles, one on a low table, and another on the chest of drawers. The flickering orange light lit up Kain's smirking face and his eyes wandering over Ceodore's body. He patted the space next to him on the bed. "Here, sit down." Ceodore frowned and moved over to sit next to Kain.

"You seem a bit more in control now."

"Well, truthfully…" Kain scratched his head. "Within about ten minutes of me getting here I had to run off to the bathroom…"

"Yuck. Please tell me I'm not going to taste that in your mouth."

Kain shook his head. "I've had some water, you won't taste anything. Let's change the subject though; I'm sure it's not romantic to discuss me drinking more than I could handle." He wrapped his arms round Ceodore and kissed his forehead. "You're okay with this?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm ready. I know I'm ready."

"Good…" Kain lifted Ceodore's chin up and pressed his lips to the prince's. Ceodore whimpered softly in response and his hands came up to thread through Kain's hair, arching his back as a calloused hand tentatively crept up his tunic and brushed over quickly hardening nipples. The prince gasped out loud; Kain had never touched him there, but he was willing to let him do anything. He silently thanked the alcohol for freeing up their inhibitions, and pulled away from Kain's mouth to lower his hands to the hem of Kain's blue tunic, starting to tug, but Kain stopped him by shaking his head. "Move back," he murmured, and Ceodore obeyed with a small frown. Kain began to remove the tunic himself, moving at a maddeningly slow pace, inch by inch revealing his toned stomach and muscled chest. Ceodore couldn't help his hand drifting lower, between his slightly parted legs, rubbing his clothed erection as Kain stripped, resisting the temptation to throw his head back and groan. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on Kain; the tunic had gone now, tossed to the floor, and Kain started on the leggings at an even slower pace, almost driving Ceodore crazy with lust and desire. He reached out eagerly, so very desperate to rip the padded cloth from Kain's body, but again Kain shook his head, a naughty gleam in his eyes. He had planned to tease the prince as much as he could and leave him begging and crying for more. Ceodore moaned with want as Kain's rock-hard erection was revealed and the dragoon dropped the leggings over the side of the bed. For the second time Ceodore reached out, for the third time Kain shook his head. "Kain-" Ceodore protested.

"Hush…" Kain settled himself back on the bed and let his legs fall apart slightly, giving Ceodore a good view as he took himself in hand and began to stroke. "Oh my god…" Ceodore groaned, his eyes widening. He hadn't imagined Kain to be _this _confident. The very horny prince licked his lips in anticipation, his eyes watching the steady movement of Kain's hand, following it up and down. Kain was panting softly, his eyes closed and head tilted back in pleasure. Of course, he would much prefer it if it were Ceodore touching him, but then he wouldn't be teasing the prince much at all, and when Kain opened his eyes to look up at him he looked very much like he was being teased. "You have no idea what you do to me," Ceodore murmured, his eyes never moving from Kain's actions.

"Mmm…ahh…really?" Kain smirked. "I have a pretty good idea." He began to tremble a little and he bit his lip. "Ahh…I'm going to come…"

"Oh, god…let me taste you…"

Kain nodded breathlessly and Ceodore leaned over, opening his mouth and taking the head in; Kain needed not touch himself any longer, for the simple touch of Ceodore's mouth made him reach climax, arching his back and uttering a choked cry, spurting his seed so powerfully some of it came free of Ceodore's mouth and slid down towards his chin. Kain slumped back, breathing heavily and groaning when Ceodore licked up what remained and sat back, gathering up what had escaped from the side of his mouth and sucking it off his fingers. "My god, Ceodore," Kain moaned, "that felt so good…"

Ceodore took his fingers out of his mouth and smiled. "You taste good as well." He wiped them free of saliva on his leggings and cocked his head at Kain. "What now?"

Kain smirked and rose from his prone position, hands reaching out and grasping the hem of Ceodore's tunic, easily lifting it over the prince's head and throwing it aside. Only a split-second later, Ceodore was moaning desperately as his nipples were attacked by Kain's fingers and tongue. Never had he felt this alive, or so wanted. His senses were on fire and he trembled from Kain's ministrations, his mouth open in bliss. Kain eventually moved off his chest and upwards to his neck, latching on and sucking hard. Ceodore moaned half in pain, half in pleasure, his hands scrabbling to grab Kain's hair and grip it tightly. Kain's own hands moved down and fondled Ceodore through his leggings, adding to the blessed torture he was giving the prince. "K-Kain, please," Ceodore gasped, "I need more…"

Kain released Ceodore's neck and smiled at the deep purple bruise he had left. He ran a finger over it and Ceodore shivered. "You are mine now," whispered the dragoon, claiming the prince's lips for a brief moment and gently laying him on his back. His hands fell to Ceodore's leggings and tugged them down a little, but Ceodore tensed up and curled his legs in, preventing Kain from taking them off. "Is something wrong?" Kain asked.

"I…I don't think I can," muttered Ceodore. "I'm…I'm ugly. I don't want you to see it."

"Oh, Ceodore…" Kain sat back and crossed his legs, gazing at Ceodore. "You know I won't ever think you're ugly. How long do you think it took me to come to terms with my own body? I think I'm _hideous, _but you tell me I'm not, and I say the same for you. But…if you want to stop, that's fine."

Ceodore could see the disappointment in Kain's eyes, and he hated himself for it. He shook his head fiercely. "No, I can't back out now, can I? Not when you've just lain there and touched yourself right in front of me. It wouldn't be fair. Just…please don't laugh."

"Why would I laugh?"

"…Because I think I'm small…"

Kain rolled his eyes. "Every man thinks that about themselves, because everybody else around him boasts of their own impressive sizes, that more often than not, turn out to be a pack of lies. Trust me, I've seen enough of you when you're covered up, and you're a decent size. If you can't trust me, then okay, but-"

"Just take them off, Kain. I can't do it myself…" Kain nodded and reached out to slide Ceodore's leggings off. The prince whimpered nervously when his erection was exposed, but Kain just chuckled; as he had known, Ceodore was a very healthy size and he had just been paranoid about it. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he said.

"Well, I..." Ceodore murmured, then squealed in surprise when Kain shoved his legs up to his chest. "K-Kain, what are you doing?"

"Hush..." Kain said for the second time that night, before steeling himself and leaning down to lap at Ceodore's entrance with his tongue. Ceodore's shocked gasp quickly melted into blissful moans and groans, shudders of pleasure wracking his body. His hands snaked down to thread through Kain's soft hair, gripping it tightly and making Kain press his tongue further into the prince in response, being met with a throaty groan.

Ceodore was on cloud nine and his head was spinning with pleasure, but he was aware of his neglected arousal throbbing and Kain had made no moves to touch him there, continuing to lick at the prince's entrance. He chuckled when Ceodore arched his hips; he knew exactly what Ceodore was getting at, but not touching him was part of his teasing plan. Eventually Ceodore would either touch himself or beg for Kain to take him, and within moments of Kain thinking that, Ceodore did the former, wrapping his slim fingers round his pulsing organ and pumping hard, his moans increasing in volume and frequency. Kain was immensely grateful nobody ever came down the corridor as there were no other rooms besides his and Ceodore's, for Ceodore was moaning loud enough for anyone to hear if they passed by; he also felt a little selfish in that he was the only one to hear the erotic noises his soon-to-be-lover was making. "I c-can't last," panted Ceodore, writhing under Kain's ministrations and the pleasure his own hand gave him. Kain quickly removed his tongue and moved upwards, engulfing Ceodore's length fully in his mouth while plunging a finger deep into the prince; the sudden combination of pleasure and pain made Ceodore climax harder than he had ever done before, filling Kain's mouth with the hot, slightly salty liquid that the dragoon gulped down quickly while still thrusting his finger in and out of Ceodore, adding another to stretch him out. Ceodore whimpered with pain, but the pleasure from his orgasm was still there and soon enough the whimpers turned to ones of pleasure. "You like that?" Kain asked softly.

"Oh, yes..." Ceodore panted, his head thrashing. He was now desperate for Kain to take him; those fingers felt good but he would much rather have something else in him. "Please, Kain..."

"What, my love?"

"I want you so badly...please, take me!"

Kain almost moaned out loud when Ceodore begged him. _Job done, _he thought, nodding and sitting back to rummage in the drawer next to the bed. Ceodore sat up with a frown, rubbing his head; he had been lay at the foot of the bed with the cold stone wall acting as a headboard. "What are you doing, Kain?" he asked.

"Looking for this." He brought out a little bottle. "Should make things easier." He lay back against the pillows as he had done when he was touching himself, and opened the bottle of what looked like some sort of oil, letting some drip onto his left palm. Ceodore watched, transfixed as Kain rubbed the oil over his aroused length, his eyes fluttering closed as he did so, a little wave of pleasure shooting through him. That done, he beckoned Ceodore over, and he did so, looking a little confused. "Um..."

"Don't worry," Kain murmured, pulling Ceodore atop him and kissing, licking, sucking and biting every inch of skin he could reach; the prince arched his back in pleasure and he ground himself against Kain in response. Kain shifted Ceodore up just a little and took himself in hand, lining himself up and gently pushing into Ceodore's body. Ceodore uttered a choked gasp, his nails digging into Kain's chest and his body shuddering. "K-Kain…" he moaned softly. "Oh, Kain…it feels so good…"

"Oh, oh, oh…" was all Kain could manage, his head buried in Ceodore's shoulder and his entire body spasming with pleasure. Ceodore was so unbelievably tight and hot, it took all his willpower not to grab his lover's hips and pound him. He waited for the muscles clamped tightly round him to relax a little before he lifted his head and smiled at Ceodore, shifting his hands down to his skinny hips. "Are you ready?" he asked Ceodore in a slightly breathless voice. Ceodore wriggled around a little bit to get more comfortable, then nodded. "I'm ready."

"Mmm…" Kain chuckled softly, then leaned in to kiss Ceodore passionately, withdrawing a little and then sliding back into his tantalising heat, crying out as he did so, and Ceodore moaned loudly, thrusting back down against his lover and gouging his chest with sharp nails. Nothing had ever felt this amazing for the both of them, though they were too lost in the moment to think much about that as Ceodore rocked against Kain's rhythmic thrusting, both lovers panting and moaning in unison and clutching at each other with desperate hands. Ceodore pressed Kain further down into the mattress and took over, lifting himself up and crashing down, driving Kain deeper into his willing body, driving him into the prince's prostate and making him scream in utter ecstasy. Kain was loving the feeling of Ceodore around him, watching him writhe while leaning up every now and then to kiss his hot, open lips. "Oh, Kain..." Ceodore moaned, collapsing against Kain; the dragoon quickly picked up where Ceodore had left off, starting to gently thrust once more, wrapping his arms round the highly vocal prince and holding his sweat soaked body to his own, in the same condition. "K-Kain- ahh!"

"What?" Kain asked, stopping his thrusts for a moment and stroking Ceodore's cheek. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," Ceodore replied breathlessly. "I want...I, well..."

"Yes, my love? Anything for you."

"I...I want you to touch me, Kain."

Kain smirked. "That can be arranged." Ceodore squeaked in surprise as Kain suddenly rolled them both over so the prince was on bottom. "There we go," Kain chuckled; Ceodore gasped, then moaned softly as the dragoon's hand closed round his neglected erection, starting to stroke him teasingly.

"A-Ahh...yes..." Ceodore groaned, arching his hips. Kain panted softly in response and began to thrust again, the original overspilling lust for each other having depleted slightly, leaving behind the passion and infinite love that made Kain wish to be gentle with his lover. Ceodore seemed to like this new, passionate side of Kain, and though his moans faded away to the same gentle pants Kain uttered, Kain cared not. He knew Ceodore was still enjoying what they were doing immensely. Ceodore began to tremble against Kain, and his moans were building up again; in response Kain stroked him faster and kissed his lover passionately. A few moments later, the prince gasped against Kain's mouth as he climaxed, spilling powerfully between their bodies and convulsing with pleasured spasms. Kain followed him over the edge mere seconds later, groaning Ceodore's name and shuddering.

They lay together in the afterglow of their lovemaking, breathing heavily and stroking each other's flushed skin idly. No words were exchanged, only loving gazes and soft kisses. Ten minutes passed before Kain propped himself up on his elbows and slowly withdrew from Ceodore; the prince winced with slight discomfort, then grimaced as he felt Kain's release leaking out. "Yuck," he muttered. Kain laughed softly and pulled a tissue box from the drawers next to the bed, handing it to Ceodore so he could clean himself up. He moved to mop up the sticky liquid coating his stomach, but Kain shook his head and leaned down, cleaning it up with his tongue. Ceodore watched with wide eyes as he did so, squirming when Kain dipped his tongue into his navel. "Whoa...no way did you actually just do that," he said, blinking rapidly.

"I couldn't let something that tasted so good go to waste," Kain replied with a smirk. Ceodore disposed of the tissues, then Kain pulled the younger man into his arms and stroked his hair wearily. "Mmm...my love...I surely am the luckiest man alive to have you in my life..."

Ceodore giggled. "Mother's right. You really are a hopeless romantic."

Kain smiled down at Ceodore. "I cannot help it. I love you like nobody else ever could. Now I have you, I could not imagine life without you. I can't help but wonder how I even got by previously without the comfort of another's love..."

"You had hope, I suppose."

"Possibly...but I mean all I say, Ceodore. I love you so much. I feel the moment we just shared will only strengthen our love."

"Kain..." Ceodore breathed, feeling tears of joy fill his eyes. He snuggled closer to Kain's warm body and sighed happily. "I love you too. I'm maybe not as romantic as you are, but you understand how much I feel for you, right?"

"I do," Kain murmured, kissing Ceodore's brow. "So, did you have a good birthday?"

"This made it the best!" Ceodore laughed. "We should sleep now. I'm tired."

"Me too." Kain hopped out of bed to blow out the candles, then settled under the covers with Ceodore. "Goodnight, my love."

"Night night, Kain." Ceodore cuddled up to his lover and placed a hand at his slim waist. Kain sighed softly and wrapped his arms round Ceodore, holding him close to his warm chest. Their love finally sealed, they drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Finally, Cecil seemed to fully accept Ceodore and Kain's relationship; within a few days of Ceodore's birthday, Kain told Cecil that Ceodore was sharing his bed now, and the King just nodded and murmured that it was no problem. Somehow he also knew about the sex as well (later on, Ceodore found out that Ursula had snuck out of her room, listened at the door, then spread it round the kitchen boys the next morning), but of course, he said nothing about it to his son. Ceodore and Kain were well and truly settled in their relationship now, fully comfortable with each other and not caring of what people said, for there was still the odd person who did not approve.

The months passed by and Rosa got through the rest of her pregnancy without any trouble, giving birth to a girl. Kain was christened her godfather and he named the newborn princess Luna, citing her mop of silver hair, identical to her father's, as his inspiration. Of course, the whole kingdom rejoiced for the birth of Luna, but nobody was more excited than Ceodore, who now finally had a sibling and was positively ecstatic, always offering to look after her.

"I'm still surprised Cecil asked me to be godfather," Kain admitted to Ceodore, as they lay in bed after a hard day of training and having just finished a session of intense lovemaking, "since I was never one for kids."

"You're great with Luna," Ceodore smiled, nuzzling Kain. "Anyway, you seem to like her."

"I do. She's a very easy baby. Apparently you were a right headcase when you were younger!"

"Hey!"

"Only repeating what Cecil said."

"Ugh, I hate him sometimes..." Ceodore rolled onto his back and placed his arms behind his head. "It doesn't really matter. He's loosened up now, which is what really matters."

"Yes, you're right..." Kain propped himself up on an elbow and stroked Ceodore's spiky hair with his free hand; the young prince smiled contentedly and leaned into his touch. "How long have we been together now, Ceodore?"

He shrugged. "I sort of lost count...maybe about...you know, I have no idea. Almost a year, I think."

"Wow. How the time flies!" Kain exclaimed. Ceodore giggled and rolled back over, back into Kain's arms. "It still sort of feels like only yesterday that I came to you, and you were crying..."

"And I told you I loved you."

"That's right. And...oh, our kiss was magical..."

"That it was..."Ceodore's eyes seemed to grow misty as he remembered that event. "I never thought you'd feel the same way for me, simply because you're older."

"Age is no barrier to love," Kain murmured, half his face buried in his lover's hair, slightly damp from the sweat of their earlier exertions. "You know I loved you from the moment I saw you, though _I _thought _you _would never feel the same way about _me!"_

"Oh, I thought you were gorgeous!" the prince laughed. "It was your eyes. Your eyes were all I could see, but then you took everything off to sleep, and I just...well, I fell in love! You have such a beautiful body."

"It is nothing compared to yours," Kain chuckled. He ran a hand down Ceodore's bare body and he shivered pleasantly. "Your body is still young, while mine is old and scarred. Yours is pale while mine is dark. In my eyes, you are perfection, flawless. My opposite in many ways...and you know what they say about opposites..."

"Kain..." Ceodore loved it when Kain went off on his romantic speeches. He hugged his lover closer and snuggled into his chest. "You really are too sweet."

Kain sniggered. "And you really are horny, or is that something else I can feel sticking in my leg?"

"It can be whatever you want it to be," Ceodore said huskily.

"I want it to be round two," Kain whispered, suddenly pinning Ceodore to the bed and sliding atop him for another session. Needless to say, the both of them had become downright nymphomaniacs. Mind you, it only strengthened their love.

* * *

><p><em>And so ends my attempt at a TAY fic when I haven't even played the game! Oh well. I liked it (of course I did!). Thanks again, Yunakitty, and I hope you readers enjoyed it too!<em>


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